Ruination
by armlessphelan
Summary: RJ Forrester returns the Los Angeles after studying abroad, except he's changed his name to RJ Logan and started a new fashion company with Julian Crane. And this same man has a mysterious, decades old connection to RJ's great aunt Pam Douglas. And did we mention that there are explosions, murders, and RJ's ex-boyfriend Noah Newman around to spice things up?
1. Chapter 1

Brooke Logan used her tongue to slide the olive off the toothpick, then drained her glass of gin. Her eyes swept over the upscale club and she sighed. Everyone wanted to have someone for Valentine's Day and she was alone.

"Need a refill?" A man sat next to Brooke, but she didn't look over to him.

"That would be nice. Thank you."

"You're Brooke Logan. My ex-wife used to wear your line."

"That's a terrible pickup line." Brooke turned her new suitor: he had clearly been handsome once, and still was for the most part, but age had dulled it somewhat. Men were allowed to become distinguished with age. Women just became old, and that's how Brooke felt. "And who is buying my drink?"

"Julian Crane," he offered as he beckoned the bartender over. "How is it that on the most romantic night of the year, a woman as refined as you is with me?"

"Crane." Brooke ignored his question. It wasn't his business. She took her gin from the bartender and played with the rim of the glass. "Would you be from New England? Forrester used to ship custom orders to a boutique there until about 2009 or so."

"2008," Julian corrected as he straightened his tie. "My family is old blood in from Massachusetts."

"My family is not." Brooke was bored already. She didn't need some blue blood millionaire thinking he could pick her up because he had money. Money was the one thing she did have.

Nodding and smiling, Julian raised his tumbler of scotch to Brooke. "Humble beginnings, and now you and yours are practically royalty in the fashion world. I may not know much about clothing, but I do know the story of how you became CEO of Forrester Creations. The company was such a massive success that everybody had to take notice."

"And just what do you want, Mr. Crane?" Brooke threw back her drink, then took his. He wasn't even startled.

"Ms. Logan, what if I told you that I had come to Los Angeles to start my own fashion company? We already have a couple talented designers, but what we need is someone like you. Someone who can take a company from humble beginnings to the top of the world."

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass, Mr. Crane. Right now, the last thing I need is to compete with Forrester Creations."

"Except that's exactly what you need."

A young man, no older than twenty and certainly not old enough to be in a bar, sat on Brooke's other side. She spun in her seat, spilling the scotch on her top and not caring. It was him. The dyed green hair, the piercings all up and down his right ear:

"RJ?" Brooke gasped at her son.

"Mom, we want you to be the CEO of Logan &amp; Crane, the world's newest fashion empire."

Looking at her son, Brooke felt her mouth drop open. Then she laughed. "You can't be serious. You're a Forrester, RJ. That's your birthright. That company is where you'll make your stamp on the world, not some startup. Do you know how few new companies even make it past the first year?"

"Not many. We know. But Julian is the one who found me. I guess he's a donor to my school or something."

"Mr. Crane..."

"Julian, please," he interrupted. "This isn't meant to be an ambush."

"Right. Julian. I don't know how they do things in Massachusetts, but in California we don't just discuss important business like this in a bar, and we certainly don't do it with a child too young to even drink present."

"Mom, I know you're resistant, but I also know your contract with Forrester is up for renewal next month. Rick's running that company and I say let him."

"You're still a Forrester, RJ. This isn't right."

RJ shook his head and laughed. "No, Mom, I may be a Forrester, but I'm also a Logan. And a Marone. This company? It's a way for me to make my own mark on the world. Our own mark. The Logan name will be more than an extension of the Forresters."

"Honey..." Brooke reached out and held her son's hand. "You didn't even go to school for fashion design. You wanted to be a cartoonist."

"Mom, Julian saw something in me that nobody else did. The fact that I'm from the cartoon world is exactly why this is so perfect. My designs, and you'll love them when you see them, they aren't like Forrester with its focus on elegance and glamour. I'm dirtier and younger and exactly what the world wants."

"Ms. Logan, we obviously can't pay you what a Forrester Creations can," Julian interjected, "but what we can offer you is control. It would be your company as much as mine."

"No it won't, Julian," Brooke argued. "If I come to work at Logan &amp; Crane, it will be MY company. I want 51%."

"Yes, well, we can certainly discuss that later."

"No later." Brooke gave Julian back his half a glass of scotch and smiled as she looked into his eyes. "This is non-negotiable. I don't care who has the rest of the stock, but I need autonomy and 51% is the only way I'll get that. That is my only condition."

"I'll draw up the paperwork, Ms. Logan." Julian cleared his throat and rose from the bar, but Brooke released RJ's hand and grabbed Julian's. Then she shook it.

"You can send your paperwork to my attorney. He'll look it over before I sign anything. And if we really are going to work together, then you can call me Brooke."

Nodding, Julian smiled back her. "Yes. Brooke. Welcome to the Logan &amp; Crane family, Madam CEO."

B&amp;B

"So your mom is onboard?"

"Completely." RJ nodded as he sat on his desk. "It's just... She doesn't know about you. Julian and I decided that it would be better to reveal you to her after she signs the papers. She demanded 51% of the company and he gave it to her, but there's a clause in the contract that she won't know about unless her lawyer is really, really thorough."

"And what is that?"

"For the first year of her tenure, my mother will have no say over the hiring or firing of the creative department. They will report directly to the president."

"And since your mom is CEO..."

"Julian is the president. We hope that a year will be long enough to get her to accept you being a part of the company."

"But he will only own 49% of L&amp;C. And after that year is up, I'll be gone."

"No you won't," RJ assured his partner. "Julian doesn't know, but my mom told me. She's having an amendment made to the contract that gives me 5% of her 51%. She thinks I'll side with her, she wants me to have a stake, but when it comes to you I won't. You're the one who came in and helped me and Julian start this company. Without your help, I wouldn't be designing anything worth anything."

"You lie, but thank you. But am I the only person you're hiding from your mom? Because if anyone would be supportive, it would be her."

"I know she would. It's not her. It's my dad. He works in fashion, but Forrester has never... Besides, he's back in Wisconsin with his family and pretending to be straight."

"Right. Right. You're more than someone's dirty little secret, RJ. I want you to remember that. Because we're about to blow up the world, and if he won't be by your aide, then he isn't worth it."

Smiling, RJ lay back on the desk and kicked his legs into the air. "It's really happening, Amber. We're actually going to do this. And they aren't ready."

Laughing, Amber Moore agreed. "No, they are not."

B&amp;B

Julian laughed as he read over his copy of Brooke's contract. If she could pull it off, if she could make this fledgling company a success, then everything he sacrificed would be worth it. He'd burned every bridge he could find before he left Harmony. He would never go back to that town. No, Los Angeles was his future, and the Logan family was a part of it.

It was going as smoothly as he had planned. Brooke Logan's libido may have been the fastest way to get on her radar, but her children... That was how you got her on your side. Now that she was on his, he would ruin Forrester Creations. He would ruin the woman who had broken his heart all those years ago.


	2. Chapter 2

"As you all know, I called you here because my mother chose not to renew her contract with Forrester Creations, and her final day was last week. We all thought she was just retiring. She's earned a break from the business, but word is getting out that she's making an announcement later today."

"She is," Ivy confirmed. "Liam told me that an official press conference is happening at noon."

"Shut up, Ivy. Nobody cares," Maya snapped. Rick grinned and nodded to her.

"Anyway, I called you all in here to see if anybody knows what might be happening. I called Hope in Italy, but she's as clueless as the rest of us."

Maya watched as the Forresters and their business partners all began talking and bickering amongst themselves. She could chime in, but nobody would listen. Even Ivy had more of a say in the day-to-day running of the company than Maya, and she was nothing. It was like being the head model meant less than nothing!

And Rick kept mentioning Caroline every chance he got. She understood it at first. Caroline was his wife and she had hurt him and Maya did everything she could to help him move on but he wasn't. Rick was stuck in the same place that he had been when Maya had initially won him back.

"I'll be right back," Maya told her fiance, the CEO of Forrester Creations. He smiled at her, kissed her passionately, and then turned to see Caroline's reaction. As funny as it was watching Caroline and her newest beau Ridge gag, it still hurt.

The moment she got into the hallway, Maya's phone rang. "Hello? Maya Avant, Head Model of Forrester Creations speaking."

"Maya." Brooke sounded excited. There was definitely something going on with her. Something big.

"Yes, Ms. Logan?" Maya squeaked out. She was very glad that Pam and Donna were in the meeting and not at their desk. Nobody needed to see her have a moment of weakness. Maya could never let her guard down in front of those people.

"How would you like to be a part of history? I know you and I haven't always seen eye-to-eye on things, but you are a fantastic model and I also know that Forrester doesn't sign their models to exclusive contracts."

"What are you getting at, Ms. Logan?" Maya whispered into her phone. She looked at the closed door behind her, then stepped away from it.

"I'm having a press conference today at noon. It's being held at my house, and I want you there."

"Rick and I will be there," Maya assured her future mother-in-law. "We wouldn't miss a thing."

"Not Rick." Brooke's voice suddenly grew hard. "Just you, Maya. I have an offer for you, but it'll have to wait until after the press conference."

Maya looked back to the conference room door before giving her answer.

B&amp;B

RJ was giddy. There were a lot of reporters for Brooke's announcement. Tabloid and fashion press alike were jostling for the best seats. He still couldn't believe this was happening. They were about to revolutionize the face of fashion and nobody would know what to make of it.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the press, my name is Julian Crane. We have called you here today to make an announcement that will shake this city... Nay, we will shake the entire fashion world to its core. Now, if you will allow me the pleasure of introducing one Ms. Brooke Logan."

Julian stepped to the side and RJ's mom stepped up to the podium. She was going to surprise the hell out of the world, and he had a few surprises in store for her.

"Hello. Yes. I know you are all buzzing with anticipation and questions about my departure from Forrester Creations and what my secret new project is, but before we take questions I have a few things to share with you all.

"My departure from Forrester was completely amicable. My son Rick is still the CEO there and I am wish him all the success in the world, but by the end of my tenure there I realized that become a meaningless figurehead resting on her laurels. It wasn't until Julian approached me with this offer that I realized how little of myself I was putting into my work. But this new project? This new company? I am so dedicated to it that I've put my name on it. Ladies and gentlemen of the press, I am proud to announce to you the worldwide debut of Logan &amp; Crane, the world's newest fashion house!"

A loud murmur came from the crowd and RJ was just waiting for his cue from Julian. So far, though, the president of the company was just standing by his CEO's side as she wooed the press.

"I am so happy to be the CEO of this brand new enterprise, and I'll be working day and night with Julian and my son RJ to make sure this company is everything it can be. Now, I'm sure you all have questions. I am happy to take them now."

"Andrea Mitchell, Eye on Fashion. Ms. Logan, how will Logan and Crane be any different from your work at Forrester Creations?"

"Well, Andrea, as I said, I am the CEO of this company and that is something I haven't done in well over a decade. Also, Logan &amp; Crane is targeting a completely different market. My son RJ is a very talented designer with a youthful eye, but he wants everyone to share his vision, not just an elite few. So I am currently trying to work with brand new distribution partners to make sure that nothing we release costs over forty American dollars. We're aiming for an equally reasonable price in European and Asian markets, but I can't divulge more than that as those talks are still new."

"Shawn Price, Llanview Gazette. Brooke, how would you respond to the undoubtedly incoming charges that your son RJ Forrester being a designer for your company is just a continuation of the nepotism that runs so rampant in fashion?"

Then Julian did it. He gave RJ the sign.

"I can answer that!" RJ said loudly as he stood from his seat. He walked up to the podium and hugged his mother. She then stood back so that he could address the crowd. "I was attached to Logan &amp; Crane before my mother. This venture is very much a family business, but everyone has earned the right to be here. And in celebration of this launch I have two special announcements to make: the first being that I have filed paperwork with the state of California to have my surname formally changed from Forrester to Logan."

The sounds that came from the crowd was nothing next to the silence from RJ's mother. He just smiled because he wasn't done.

"And the second surprise? I would like to welcome back to the illustrious world of fashion my designing partner and best friend, Amber Moore!"

Then Amber rose from her seat in the back of the crowd and sashayed to the podium while the press roared with excitement.

"Amber is also wearing the first piece that Logan &amp; Crane will be offering. This is just a sneak preview. Pre-orders will available soon, but our launch collection isn't finished. We're very close, though. But be sure to check out the Logan &amp; Crane website and social media accounts launching today as well. We'll be sharing a lot of behind the scenes pictures and videos."

"Katherine Ogy, Salem Spectator. Amber, how did you come into the fold of Logan &amp; Crane?"

"RJ sought me out when he first entered the field of design. My experience and his cutting edge ideas are the perfect marriage for what this company wants to do," Amber boasted as she put her arm around RJ's shoulders. He looked over to his mother with a smile, and she was clearly doing her best to put on a show for the press. A screaming match would get them even more headlines, but it would be the wrong kind.

"And just what do you mean by marriage, Amber? Are you involved with yet another of Brooke's children?"

Amber looked to RJ, but he took the reins. This was his announcement to make.

"Amber and I are just friends and colleagues. You are all more than welcome to speculate otherwise, though."

More than a few of the reporters chuckled.

"Now, if you don't mind, Amber and I are going to turn this back over to our wonderful CEO. Thank you very much."

B&amp;B

RJ nearly screamed when he saw that his flat wasn't empty.

"So you're still playing at being straight? You're a fashion designer. It's the only occupation other than styling hair where the gays outnumber the straights."

'How did you get in here, Noah?"

Noah lounged about on RJ's sofa, playing with the tassels on the throw pillow.

"Things in Genoa City got heavy. I had to leave to preserve my sanity, so I thought I'd come into town to see how my old friend was doing. I caught your press conference on my satellite radio. Very cool of you to go your own way. Mad respect."

"We haven't been friends for a long time, Noah. After Paris, you just acted like I didn't exist."

"We were both younger then. And you knew that things were over when I left Paris. So why are you so mad?"

RJ didn't have an answer for that, so he changed the subject. "How did you get in here?"

"I'm a Newman. You know as well as I do that money can grease a lot of palms. But please, don't lodge a complaint because of me. After all, today is a happy day. I'm happy for you."

"What about Eden? Is she happy for me, too?"

For a moment, Noah's eyes got dark. "Eden will always mean a lot to me. You knew that when we got involved, but she's not... We haven't been together for a few years now."

"She finally figure out that you like to suck dick as much as you like eating pussy?"

"You're one to talk about being in the closet, RJ. You live in Los Angeles and your entire family comes from fashion. My background is not that. At all. You should have seen the way those people acted when they thought my uncle Adam was gay. His being a sociopath was handled better."

"You left me for Eden, and now that you aren't together you wanna come back?"

Noah shook his head again. "No, man, it's not that. I really do want to just catch up with you and congratulate you. Yeah, I was shitty when I left you, but that was years ago. I was twenty. You were seventeen. The age difference then meant a lot more here in the states than it does now. And surely you have a new guy or two."

All RJ could do was walk away and stare out his bay window. Three years ago, Noah left him in the streets of Paris. He had gotten over it, but he had never really moved on. He'd concentrated more on his studies and now his business. But Noah was back in his life for however long and the ache that had vanished was back.

"Do you still play the guitar? Do you remember how I used to draw my assignments while you would tune that thing and I'd yell at you for distracting me?"

"I remember you coming to my coffeehouse shows and designing my flyers in your free time." Noah sighed and RJ looked back to him. "I haven't played for a long time. I became a bartender for my dad and I started dating this cop and she wasn't anything special but she was there. Nobody in my family ever really supported my music but my mom, and now her life is even more of a mess than mine."

"I'm sorry to hear that," RJ offered as he turned back to the window. "You should try it again. The music thing. You're only 23. And you're already richer than most established artists. You have nothing to lose."

"I'm glad you're doing so well, RJ. I really am. You deserve it all."

RJ turned back to thank Noah, but the door to his flat was open and Noah was gone. He didn't chase after him.

B&amp;B

Brooke was so thrown by RJ's announcements that she had forgotten her meeting with Maya. They were making up for it with drinks in her dining room, but it didn't stop the constant calls from Ridge and Rick. It didn't help that RJ wasn't answering his own phone. He had just left the press conference before Brooke was done answering questions.

"Why did you want to see me, Ms. Logan?" Maya asked before sipping on her champagne. Brooke was favouring vodka herself. She needed something strong to her through the news that she would be working with Amber Moore. Well, until the next time she saw Amber and fired her.

"I want you to leave Forrester and work for me," Brooke said bluntly. "We won't be paying as much, but you'll still be a head model and more. You will be our talent scout: all the girls and boys like you who grew up with no money and no dreams? They are the demographic Logan &amp; Crane wants. We need to reflect that in who wears our clothes in magazines and billboards. My name carries with it a lot of weight in the old world, but your face has more power in the new one."

"You want me because I'm black."

Brooke laughed a little at Maya's indignation. "Yes. We want you because you're talented and ruthless and because you're black. I don't know if you've noticed, but you're the only black model at Forrester. At Logan &amp; Crane, we want models that are Latino, white, black, Asian... RJ even wants us to hire trans models! I wouldn't know the first thing about how to do any of that, but you do. You can help us change the face of fashion from mine to yours."

With that confession, Brooke knew Maya was floored. All those times Caroline or Ridge or anyone else had called her a criminal or an ex-con, she knew they meant "black". She knew it was meant to be derogatory. Any time she was invited to a party, the hosts made to let her know they would be serving chicken. But this? This was Maya getting to use her skin as a source of pride instead of an obstacle to overcome. This was what she had wanted as a kid: someone who looked like her that she could look up to.

Rick would be mad; he would be furious. But Maya couldn't decline the offer. She wanted the jewels and the prestige and the power, but more than that Brooke knew that she wanted every other Maya Avant in the world to know that they deserved it, too.


	3. Chapter 3

"I didn't even know you were back in town." RJ did his best to look at anything but his father. "Son, what's wrong with being a Forrester?"

"What's wrong with being a Logan?" RJ challenged as his eyes scanned the menu for the third time. He still didn't see anything he wanted. Back in Paris, he had developed a taste for the cheap, low class food they served at the dives where Noah performed. Now, whenever he tried to eat the upper crust stuff he had grown up on, he felt like he was... It just felt weird. He wanted a burger and fries, not truffles and steak.

Sighing, Ridge took the menu from his son. "Nothing, RJ. It's just that you've been a Forrester for twenty years. You've enjoyed all the luxuries and privileges that come with it."

"It's that very thing. All the privilege and status afforded to be by that name. It's not what I want. I want to be known for my work. I don't want my work to be known for my name."

"I don't get why being a Forrester gets in the way of this. If you wanted to develop low end clothes, then we could have started a more affordable line at Forrester for you. Caroline and I would have been more than happy to help you develop your craft. You won't get that where you are now."

Shaking his head, RJ closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You won't get it. I don't hate you for it, never believe that, but this is about me. This isn't about you or Forrester Creations. This is about me needing to be my own man."

"And you can do that working with your mother, but not with me?"

"Yeah, I'm working with mom, but I wouldn't be working with you. I'd be working for you. I'd be working for Rick and Grandfather and a whole hierarchy of people. Look at Ivy: would she be anyone if she weren't a Forrester? Ever since she replaced Quinn as the designer of the Forrester jewelry collection, sales and reviews have dipped."

"You know nobody cares about Ivy," Ridge argued. "And how do you know that information? You haven't set foot in Forrester in years."

"Mom didn't tell me, if that's what you're thinking. She takes that NDA seriously. She is as committed to making L&amp;C a success on her own merits as I am."

"Then why would she hire Amber Moore? That woman is nothing but trouble."

RJ stood just as the waiter came back with their drinks and to take their orders. "Sorry, I won't be able to stay, but he'd love to have something."

B&amp;B

Maya watched the tenth woman that morning walk down the runway. Not a one of them had the poise to model for a Forrester or even a Jackie M. They were rough and untrained and that was exactly what RJ had insisted the company needed. He wanted models who were as raw and rough as the designs he and Amber were cooking up.

"That's enough. Thank you." Maya looked to her clipboard, "Denise? Yes, Denise. Thank you. We'll contact you if you make it through to the second round."

"Thanks," the woman said with an awkward wave. Maya smiled wide and waved back. How had she ever been as untrained as these women?

"I'm going to go make a phone call," Maya said to the empty room. For all of the good she was supposed to be doing, she sometimes missed the perks that came with working at Forrester. People like casting directors, personal assistants, and the like. She also missed Rick.

She knew that Rick wouldn't take her defection well. No matter how many times or ways she tried to explain to him that it was her way of helping the person she used to be, of giving people a chance she never thought she would have, he only saw betrayal. Rick compared her to Caroline. That had hurt. It had hurt far more than Maya anticipated.

B&amp;B

"I thought it was you I saw in that press conference. Why are you here, Julian? You never gave a good gosh darn about fashion."

Julian Crane looked up from his desk and smiled. This woman never should have gotten past security, except he told them to always give her access to him. It was all about her, after all. Everything he was doing was because of her.

"Pamela? Pamela Douglas?" His smile shifted into a smirk as he looked into her eyes. "What brings you to my office? I didn't even know that you were in Los Angeles."

"That's bull pucky and you know it. What do you want, Julian? Why did you steal Brooke and Maya from Forrester? Not that I mind you taking Maya. She's a real... She's a meanie."

"I came here looking for a fresh start. My life hasn't been the best these past forty or so years. I'm sure you're aware of that. Or did you forget about me completely?"

"Julian, like you said, that was over forty years ago. If you haven't moved on, then you need to see a psychiatrist." Pam tried staring him down, but it wouldn't work. There was nothing she could do to ever hurt him again.

"Was there anything else you needed, Pamela?" Julian crossed his arms and leaned into his desk. "Anything at all?"

"I brought you some lemon bars, Julian." Pam slammed them down in front of him. "Feel free to choke on one."

He opened the container as he watched Pamela walk away. Her lemons bars were as delicious now as they had been in his youth, but his revenge would taste even better.

B&amp;B

Brooke burst into the design studio and threw a bundle of papers at Amber. "I don't know what you two were thinking, trying to con me at that press conference, but I want you gone. You're fired, Amber."

Amber picked up all of the papers that had landed on her drawing table, then dropped them to the floor. "No, I'm not."

"I am the CEO of L&amp;C. I own 51% of this company and I have the papers to prove it!" Brooke folded her arms and stared at her on-again-off-again ex-daughter-in-law. She was so glad Rick was no longer with this piece of trailer trash. "If I say you're fired, then you are fired."

"She really isn't, Mom," RJ said from Amber's side. "I don't know if your lawyer told you, but you can't fire anyone in the creative department for your first year as CEO. And the two of us? We are the creative department. Also, you don't own 51% of L&amp;C. You own 46%. Or was that contract giving me 5% not supposed to exist?"

If she weren't furious at him, Brooke would have been proud of her son outsmarting her. "This isn't over. RJ, do you know all the things this creature has done to your brother? To our whole family?"

"You don't know what she's done for me," he answered back, sliding an arm around Amber's waist. Amber just looked up at Brooke and smiled. Brooke wanted to slap her.

"This is disgusting!" Brooke screamed as she stomped her foot on the floor. "This is an abomination!'

"We need to get back to work," Amber said as she tilted her head and looked to the door. "You know the way."

Flabbergasted, Brooke stormed off.

B&amp;B

"Not that I don't mind getting under your mom's skin, but you should just tell her already. Your family won't care," Amber told RJ. She was always telling him to come out. She just didn't get it. "I know you're worried about your dad, but didn't Ridge actually march in a pride parade that year he lived in Paris with you and Steffy?"

That year was one of RJ's hardest. Noah had just left, his parents split for the millionth time, and Steffy was in a weird isolation after her miscarriage. He couldn't talk to anybody about what he was going through because they were all going through something worse.

"Yeah, he did, but that was his friend. For a second, I guess, my dad thought my brother Thomas might be gay, but I heard it he laughed it off as a joke. It's always different when it's your kid. And I really don't want to mess with any coming out drama. These people do the fucking most over the stupidest shit. Can you imagine what will happen when I actually do come out?"

"So you are planning on coming out eventually. That's good, RJ. That's great. But sooner is always better."

"Oh my god, Amber. Just go make an It Gets Better video before I start puking."

"You gays and your body issues," she snorted. RJ slapped her arm with a laugh. "Anyway, I've gotta cut out early today. I'm meeting up with an old friend."

"You have friends?"

"Shut up, you." Amber playfully mussed RJ's hair. "Back when I lived in Genoa City, he was dating my boss' sister-in-law."

"Genoa City?" RJ's eyes grew wide and he looked away from Amber before she could see anything. "What's his name?"

"Have you been there or something? His name is Noah Newman. Do you know him?"

It had never come up that Amber lived in Genoa City. RJ couldn't believe that Amber knew him. He blinked the surprise out of his eyes before facing her.

"I've heard of him. Friend of a friend kinda thing. My grandfather used to be married to some woman that loves there."

"Lauren Fenmore! Yep. I knew her then. She was my boss when I lived in Genoa City. Small world, isn't it?" Amber was practically gushing. RJ felt sick.

"Yeah, I guess so."

B&amp;B

Brooke was on her third drink. She really didn't see herself being offered another CEO position, so she told herself that she didn't care how pathetic she looked sitting by herself at a bar. She could feel the eyes of the other women there, half her age and half her body count. She knew they were whispering about the sad old lady, sitting alone and getting tipsy on a weeknight.

She didn't even try to convince herself that she didn't care about them. But the alcohol dulled it just enough that she could keep her chin up.

"I'll have one of what she's having," a man said to the bartender as he sat next to Brooke. She almost told Julian to go away, but it wasn't him.

"You're young enough to be my son," she said as she raised her glass to him. "Are you even old enough to drink?"

"I'm old enough to do a lot of things," the man answered as he took his drink from the bartender, then clinked his glass again Brooke's. They both took a drink and he coughed. "Wow. That's... That's strong."

"I do everything strong," she teased before taking another sip of the dark liquid. This man, nay, this boy with his dark hair and charming smile... He reminded Brooke somewhat of Ridge all those years ago, before the children and the divorces and the age had derailed that train.

"Noah." He reached over and caressed the back of Brooke's hand with the tips of his fingers.

She knew it would be a disaster. This Noah, he had probably only been allowed to vote in one presidential election. She had been voting since Reagan was in office. Again, she told herself she didn't care.

"I'm Sally." She sat her drink down on the bar and her hand found itself on his thigh. "Sally Spectra."

"What do you do, Sally Spectra? Are you a model?"

Brooke laughed. He was so bad at flirting. She forgot how terrible most people his age were at it. She remembered how awful Ridge had been for so many years.

"Not anymore. But I do still work in fashion."

"Everyone in LA that isn't an actor seems to be in fashion. You're certainly beautiful enough to still be a model. Anyone would be lucky to have you gracing the cover of their magazine."

Again, Brooke chuckled. He was so earnest that she didn't mind the cheesy lines. Oh, to be young again.

"I do still have some moves," she teased as she struck a pose for a nonexistent camera. Noah smiled, took a drink from his glass, then put his hand atop the one Brooke had on his thigh.

"Do you wanna get out of here?"

"Are you wanting a private show? Because I'm a little rusty."

Noah chuckled and looked into Brooke's eyes. She could see that there was something there, something he was hiding. But this time she didn't have to tell herself that she didn't care: this time she really could not fond a fuck to give. If Ridge could have a Caroline, then for one night she could have a Noah.


	4. Chapter 4

"How was your thing with your friend?" It had been awhile since RJ had feigned being casual. "My night was spent being bombarded by phone calls and texts and emails from my family being annoying over everything. Well, except for my sister Hope. She just sent me a smiley face emoji."

He then held his phone up for Amber to see.

She took off her coat and hung it on one of the hooks screwed into the wall. It wasn't the classiest thing, but Amber wasn't the classiest person. At least, that's what she had told RJ while she was installing them.

"I was running late because of traffic, so he blew me off for what he said was a, and I quote, 'hot cougar'. Straight men are such pigs. Don't act like them or I'll beat you with a broom."

"I would never. And your bitch ass hasn't said a thing about my hair!" RJ scoffed as he spun around in his chair.

"It's blue. I liked the green better, but at least you stopped trying to make grey a thing." Amber sat down next to RJ and looked at his computer screen. "This does not look like some Herr Logan would consider work."

"I'm checking the fashion blogs to see what the reaction has been to everything. That video we did yesterday of Maya teaching those new models how to walk got almost two thousand retweets and ten thousand likes!"

"And the youtube comments were gutter trash. I know because I uploaded the video. Why doesn't the guy who we pay to run our website also do all this other stuff?"

"Because technology and social media are not the same thing, no matter how linked they are," RJ explained as he looked to his screen and began scrolling down. Then he stopped.

"Pfft. My phone can tweet, vine, take pictures, and record video. They're all the... Oh. OH! That's awkward."

RJ knew that Amber was seeing what he was seeing, but she didn't know what he knew.

"Fashion icon Brooke Logan has a new job at a new company, and she's celebrating with a new man. Or, should we say, a Newman?" Amber read over RJ's shoulder.

He didn't look at the article. All he could see was the picture at the top of the page.

"Umm, this is weird," Amber said as she took the mouse from RJ's hand and closed the window. "There's probably a mistake. Or it was photoshopped. Let me... I should call him."

As Amber called Noah, RJ rolled his chair away from the computer and away from Amber. This was nothing new. All his life, RJ had dealt with his mother and her scandals. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn't have batted an eye. But it was Noah. The picture of them kissing in a cab at a red light in downtown LA...

"Hey, Noah? It's Amber. It's about last night. Oh? You already know?" Then Amber looked at RJ as she continued talking. "He's here. How do you know him? Yes, it does matter!"

Then her mouth formed an "o". She knew. RJ didn't even know why he kept it a secret from her. Was it out of respect for Noah? That had to be it.

"Your ex who lives with his family in Wisconsin and is pretending to be straight wants to talk to you," Amber said stiffly as she rolled to RJ and handed him the phone. She didn't seem to be mad. It was more like she was in shock, but she watched RJ as he held the phone to his ear. One of the rhinestones on the case was loose.

"I swear, I didn't know she was your mom. Dude. You have to believe that I would never... I just wouldn't. It isn't me."

Was this how Bridget and Hope felt? Did they know this tight squeezing in the chest?

"How could you not know?"

"She said her name was Sally! And do you know what my parents look like?"

"Your mom is blonde. She was the spokesmodel for Newman Cosmetics. Your dad is a dudebro and ran a magazine. It had ads for Brooke's Bedroom."

"I didn't work at the magazine. You know I never paid attention to that stuff. I'm not like you. Please tell me you believe me."

The "I'm not like you" line hurt. RJ knew Noah didn't mean it the way he was taking it, but he still bent over until his head was between his knees. He kept the phone to his ear.

"You said you saw the press conference. She headlined the press conference."

"No. I told you I heard it on the radio. Why would I lie to you, RJ? I've never lied to you. Never."

"Yes you did." RJ sat up and looked right into Amber's eyes. She looked scared to death. He had no idea for which of her two friends she was more concerned. It didn't really matter.

"No I didn't, RJ. When did I ever lie to you?"

"That night in Paris when you told me that you loved me." RJ disconnected the call and gave Amber back her phone. Then he left the office.

B&amp;B

"I don't trust him." Pam stared at Julian Crane's Wikipedia page. It was scrubbed as clean as a whistle and locked down from editing. "He may have Brooke fooled, but I know better. He's up to something and I'm going to find out just what."

"How exactly do you know him, Pam? You've never mentioned him before."

"Ivy, Honey, I don't mean any offence, but you've been here for, what, three months? You don't know anything so just hush and let the adults talk."

"Yeah," Donna agreed with a nod. She resumed filing her nails.

Pam clicked on Julian's photo and stared at him. She knew that beneath that smile and those expensive clothes there lurked a monster. She just had to figure out what he wanted with Brooke and RJ.

B&amp;B

"Thank you, Mr. Sugamoto. I look forward to having you as the exclusive Japanese distributor of L&amp;C's debut line. It should be finalized by the end of the month, in which case we'll send you the completed order list."

As soon as the call was over, Brooke smiled. She had had a great time the night before. Initially, she was bothered by the tabloids blogs invading her privacy yet again, but then the orders began escalating.

Her sex appeal, the very thing Brooke was certain she was losing, suddenly seemed to be rising from the dead like Jean Grey or something. And while she hadn't intended to use it to bolster her company she wouldn't turn it down. Now it was up to Maya and the new models to continue the upward trend.

B&amp;B

"We are never going to be ready for the line's debut. These girls and guys and that one who insists they are somewhere in-between are never gonna be ready," Maya complained to Julian, who didn't seem to be listening. "Can we push back the launch another week? That's all I need."

"You knew it was going to be like this when you signed on, didn't you? Brooke assured me you that were aware of the difficulties you would be facing."

"Difficulties is putting it lightly. Not a one of these women is able to strut in heels, but at least they can walk without falling down. Auditions were terrible."

"Then buy them flats." Julian waved his hand at Maya dismissively as he focused on his tablet. He laughed.

"Fine. I'll do just that," Maya retorted. "But when we're excoriated in the press, you can be the one who answers to Brooke."

"Right. Right. Speaking of Brooke, you did see the news about our new CEO, yes?"

"Eh, Brooke is always sleeping with somebody. What does that matter?"

Julian sat his tablet down and looked at Maya. There was mischief behind his eyes and something about it made her smile. "Because your challenge is to pull attention away from Brooke and to this clothing line. Do you think you're up to it?"

Maya laughed and pressed her index finger to the corner of her mouth. "Julian Crane, you just gave me a brilliant idea."

"Oh? Do tell, Ms. Avant. Do tell."

B&amp;B

"What did you say to him?" Amber stared Noah down. He wouldn't meet her eyes. She was mad.

"How much do you know?" Noah poured creamer into his coffee and focused on stirring it. Anything that would put off seeing how angry Amber was, he was willing to do.

"Not much. RJ didn't... I know he's gay, but he had an ex-boyfriend he never got over. He never talked much about that guy. And today I learned that guy was you."

Amber threw a packet of artificial sweetener at Noah's head. He felt himself recoil as if it were a rock.

"He's not answering his phone and our final designs are due soon. This is the last thing I need. Brooke already wants me gone, but if we blow this launch Julian won't protect me from her wrath. So you need to tell me what the hell happened aside from you SLEEPING. WITH. HIS. MOM."

The last four words of Amber's sentence were punctuated with more coloured packets hitting Noah.

"You remember when I left Genoa City after all that Daisy stuff?"

"Ugh. Don't remind me of that nightmare," Amber scoffed. Noah didn't raise his head, but he did look up at her disapprovingly for the interruption. She stuck her tongue out.

"Anyway, we went to the same art school in Paris. I was studying music and he was studying art design or whatever. There weren't a whole lot of Americans there, so Eden, RJ, and I all kinda became friends. Then, after Eden and I graduated, she left me and Paris and I kinda stayed."

"And RJ was still in school," Amber noted. "He's only 20, Noah."

"And I'm 23. It wasn't a big deal there. We still hung out, and he was figuring out he's gay and I..."

"And you're bisexual. I didn't see it coming, but I do know what it is." Amber toyed with a packet of real sugar and Noah shrank back a bit, but she just ripped it open and sprinkled it on her donut. "Continue."

"I didn't see it coming, either. I never dismissed the possibility, but I was so hung up on Eden that I never considered it, either. She was kinda my everything, you know? Then she was gone and RJ and I became a duo after a year of being a trio. And from there, I guess we got serious."

Amber did throw a packet of Sweet &amp; Low at Noah, but he caught it and grinned.

"Okay, fine, we got really serious. He didn't live on campus. Rich kids were allowed their own flats, but I guess the Forresters have an entire floor of suites for the family members working at their international offices. So even though he put on a show of living there whenever his family visited, he actually spent a lot of time at my place. We all but loved together."

"That is serious." Amber tore her donut in half, then took a bite.

"He was in love with me and I really did love him. He was my first boyfriend and I was his first anything. It was new for both of us. We were both just happy being together, alone, in Paris. But I... I thought I had a second chance with Eden and I just left him. I really did love RJ, but I was sure that Eden was my one."

Amber threw her almost-half-a-donut and hit Noah in the face. "Ugh. Pig."

Noah just closed his eyes and breathed. Then he opened them and took a drink of his coffee. "I am the exact opposite of proud, Amber. I was an asshole to someone I really cared about. But this thing with his mom? It really was an accident. I've never paid attention to business or anything like that. I had no idea who she was."

"I believe you, but you're still a pig." Amber picked up the other half of her donut and shoved it in her mouth all at once. As she chomped on it, Noah looked down to his own croissant and found that his appetite was suddenly gone.


	5. Chapter 5

If she had been told to do this, Maya would have quit. As it was, only four of the new L&amp;C models had volunteered. Maya suspected that such a small party wouldn't have gotten a parade permit from the city of San Francisco this fast without Julian Crane greasing the wheels.

"When does this thing start, Maya? There's nobody here," Liam asked as he rubbed his hands together. He thought that he was cold?

"Now is as good a time as any, I suppose," Maya told him. She had promised him an exclusive on the new ad campaign, and he was definitely going to get one. Looking back at her companions, she smiled and started unbuttoning her coat. "Ladies and Andre, are you ready?"

They all nodded. Maya dropped her coat to the ground and the crowd around her stopped and stared. She was freezing, but Maya held her arms out to the world and began marching. Her models followed suit.

"Maya, what is this?" Liam was flabbergasted, but his photographer was taking pictures anyway. "Seriously, what are you and these people doing?"

"Liam, quote me on this: Logan &amp; Crane isn't in the business of trying to make people beautiful, because they already are. No matter what your race or gender or body type, you're already beautiful. What we want to do is help people express what's inside on the outside."

"And how is marching naked down a freezing San Francisco street supposed to do anything?"

Maya stopped and her people stopped. She turned to them but spoke to Liam. "Look at them, Liam. Aren't they beautiful?"

"Off the record: that's subjective," he answered without looking at the people.

"Do we do it now?" Denise asked Maya. She was the only person carrying something.

"It's as good a time as any," Maya answered, walking away from Liam and to her model. She took hold of what Denise was carrying: together, they unfurled the banner.

"The Beauty Inside: Coming Soon." Liam read aloud as Maya and her models began marching down the street side by side. When they passed him, she knew that he saw that every one of them had the L&amp;C logo scrawled on their backs.

B&amp;B

"Where is RJ?" Brooke asked Amber, tapping her feet on the floor of the studio. "Where is my son?"

"Nobody knows. He disappeared after he saw an article about you and Noah Newman."

Brooke didn't know why that would matter. "But those articles caused pre-orders to go up! Like, a lot."

"Did it ever occur to you that RJ wanted this line to succeed because of the hard work we put into it? Not because you're constant tabloid fodder."

"I'm not justifying what I do or who I do it with to trailer park trash like you, Amber. My son wanted me here because I'm the best at what I do. If he didn't, he would've let me re-sign with Forrester. L&amp;C is our shared legacy."

"Watch what you say to me, Brooke. I may be just an employee of this company, but right now I'm the one working her ass off to get these designs finished in time for the launch. So unless you're going to pick up a pencil and help me, get the fuck out of my office and go find the son that you ran off."

B&amp;B

When Julian entered his office, it wasn't empty. "Hello there, Pamela."

She spun his chair around and glared. Pam was chewing on the end of one of Julian's cigars, but he noticed that she hadn't lit it. "I'm onto you, Julian. I know what you're doing, but what I don't know is why."

Shutting the door to his office, Julian regarded Pam then laughed. '"Ah, but I believe it is the other way around, Pamela. You have no idea what I'm doing. Let me tell you: I'm creating the fashion empire that will destroy Forrester Creations once and for all. For however much your lot despised the Logans, they were the ones who made that company the national conglomerate that it is. And I know for a fact that your sales have been in freefall ever since Brooke left."

"Forrester is fine." Donna took the cigar out of her mouth and sat it on Julian's desk. "The company was a success before the Logans wormed their way into it. It'll be a success long after they finally realize they don't belong there and leave."

"Don't lie to me, Pamela. I know you too well. You still have your tells. All these years, and you still lie like the girl I knew way back when."

"That girl grew up into the woman before you, Julian. And this woman takes no man's dooky."

"What do you want, Pamela? Are you just here to lecture me? That's tiresome, even for you."

"I'm here to give you one last chance to stop whatever it is you think you're doing. The Julian Crane that I knew wasn't awful. He was a little stuck up, but who wasn't?"

"You, Pamela. You weren't. That's why it was so easy for you to ruin me the way that you did. The one who created the wolf huffing and puffing on Forrester's door was you!" Julian yelled. Pam didn't flinch.

Rising from the chair, Pam walked to Julian and slapped him in the face. "No, Julian. You don't get to blame me. You're the one who cheated on Eve with Ivy. You are the one who got Ivy preggers. The one who ruined your life was you."

"I didn't get Ivy pregnant, Pamela. That lying whore birthed another man's child and told me it was mine. What she did was unforgivable, but you? You were even worse. You were the worst."

"Why, Julian? How is what I did any worse than anything you've done?"

"Because I loved you, Pamela. And some part of me never stopped. But the rest of me? It wants you to pay. And you will pay. All of these people you call friends and family will suffer because of you. How does that feel?"

"It feels like you need some of my meds, Julian. You can't hurt me, but you're welcome to try. I'm not some little princess who needs to be rescued by her big sister. Not anymore. Whatever you're planning, bring it. I can't wait to see it fail just like all of your marriages."

Pam then stormed out of Julian's office, slamming the door behind her. Julian walked to his desk and sat in his chair. It still smelled like her. He inhaled deeply and picked up the cigar she had left behind. As he lit it, Julian smiled.

B&amp;B

"People, we need to figure out just what we're going to do about this Logan &amp; Crane thing. Ever since Ridge and Caroline ran my mom off, orders have been going down. And Ivy's incompetence has our jewelry division barely breaking even."

"I didn't run Brooke off, Rick. You did it by being a terrible CEO. All you had to do was get her to sign an extension on her contract and you couldn't even do that." Ridge growled and bit into his fifth grilled cheese sandwich.

"You can't blame me for this. Who wouldn't get sick of seeing you and Caroline petting each other in the hallway? It's disgusting."

"Excuse me!" Caroline challenged as she unwrapped a sixth sandwich and handed it to Ridge. "Aren't you the guy whose mistress also left Forrester for L&amp;C? At least we don't have to worry about being pickpocketed anymore."

"That's going too far, Caroline! If anyone here is a thief, it's Ridge. He stole my wife!"

"You threw me away!" Caroline yelled at Rick while giving Ridge a 2 litre bottle of Coke to wash down his snack.

"Has it occurred to anyone that Brooke and Maya left because they were offered more creative freedom?" Ivy suggested.

"SHUT UP, IVY!" Everyone else in the room all yelled at once. Ridge finished his Coke, burped, and then threw the bottle at Ivy's head.

B&amp;B

The rain fell hard and everyone ran across the bridge in a hurry to be out of it. RJ knew he would probably get sick, but the problem with that was that he already was. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw that picture. He didn't... He knew Noah was telling the truth about not knowing Brooke was his mom. Noah never met RJ's parents. He never cared about things like someone's background or how much money they had. All Noah wanted was a good time.

All Brooke had been to him was a good time.

"There you are," someone panted between the drops of water. RJ had known he wouldn't be alone for too long. He hadn't done the best job in the world of covering his tracks.

"Why are you here?" He turned and faced Noah, completely unsurprised. Nobody else would have thought to look on this bridge in this weather, even if they had figured out where he went.

"Because, despite what you think, I still care about you," Noah argued from under his umbrella. He leaned against the railing so that RJ would be under it as well. His face was flushed from where he had been running. "I still remember this place. Every time we would have a fight, usually because I did something dumb and you wanted to overreact, you would come here."

"I'm shocked you remembered that after you forgot everything else," RJ countered, perhaps unfairly. He turned away from Noah and resumed watching the raindrops dance across the Seine.

"Rich words coming from a man who flew to another continent trying to forget," Noah chuckled inappropriately. He put a hand on RJ's shoulder. "You're soaked."

"It's raining." RJ held his hand out beyond the umbrella's protection. It was cold and he was shivering but he didn't care. He knew he was acting like a petulant teenager, but he reasoned that it was okay because he had only stopped being a teen a few months before.

"It's also winter, you dumbass. Everyone back in LA is freaking out because you disappeared. Amber knows most of what went down with you and me, but she's really worried because you won't answer her calls. Not to forget that new company of yours you were so proud of: you just abandoned it."

"You don't get to lecture me!" RJ screamed even though he knew Noah was right. He had been stupid and childish, trying to run from his problems but only abandoning everything he had worked for. "You slept with my mother!"

"And I will regret that until the day I die. Do you really think I want to hurt you any more than I already have? Do you think I'm that awful?"

"Yes," RJ lied. He stepped out from under Noah's umbrella and back into the welcoming embrace of the downpour. "Why else would you have bothered to see me when you came to LA? Why would you follow me here instead of sending Amber?"

Noah sighed and lowered his umbrella. He closed it, then dropped it to the ground. They both ignored the passersby and looked only at each other. "Because I'm sorry. I was a selfish, immature asshole when I dumped you and I thought that I could pretend like nothing happened. But I hurt you.

"Apparently, I hurt you a lot worse than I knew."

"You wanna know something? While my sister was running around doing TV and magazine interviews about how sacred her virginity was and why it was important to her to wait until marriage... While she was trying to teach young women to respect themselves, I was degrading myself for you."

Then Noah hugged him. RJ didn't know how to react, so he just stood there. He was stiff and straight as an iron rod, his arms at his side and his hands balled into fists.

"No you didn't," Noah assured RJ as he stroked the back of his head. "You never... I've been a whore. I won't lie about that and I'm not ashamed of it, but you were never just another conquest. I loved you, RJ. When we were together, and even now, you mean more to me than some members of my own family. Please don't... You didn't degrade yourself."

Then RJ finally broke out of Noah's grip. He looked into the other man's eyes, the rain and the wind working together to make it look like he was crying. But RJ knew better.

"What would you call it, then? You were my first. You were my only. And you loved me, but you can say that word in the past tense. I can't. Je te aime. Je te aime toujours."

And as the shock and recognition seeped into Noah's eyes and face, RJ turned and walked away. He hoped that Noah didn't mistake his tears for the wind and the rain.


	6. Chapter 6

"You're back."

"Aaaaaaand reeeeeeed!" RJ sang as he spun, showing off that his new outfit matched his new hair colour. "I'm still new to this whole designer thing. Am I only allowed to wear clothes I make?"

"Only for appearances at places like awards shows or Fashion Week. Otherwise, nobody cares. You'll never be famous enough to be bothered on the street unless it's from a panhandler." Amber hugged RJ, then hit him. "Where the hell were you and why didn't you answer my calls?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm here and I'm ready to get back to work. Isn't that enough?"

"Not even close, but you're right about getting back to work. Things are nuts around here. Pre-orders have way surpassed what we were expecting, and because you weren't here we're a couple days behind schedule. So the next time you feel the need to go into seclusion, do it after a line debuts, not before."

"Yes, Ma'am!" RJ smiled and saluted Amber. She hit him again then laughed.

B&amp;B

"I don't get why you're mad. I ran it past Julian, he greenlit the idea, and we are overflowing with orders. By all accounts, this was a massive success."

"Maya, Julian is the president, but I am the CEO. You never should have marched naked in the middle of a city while representing my company without my knowledge," Brooke sighed and took a drink from her tumbler of scotch. There was so much happening so fast... RJ had disappeared for four days, and then showed up to work acting as though nothing had happened. She would be talking to him later, but the more pressing concern was her company's current PR image. "Have you seen what the press is saying?"

"They're mocking the very people you wanted me to empower." Maya crossed her legs and sat back in her chair. "I'm doing what you hired me to do, Brooke. I took two plus sized models, a black man, and a trans Latina and we made the world recognize that L&amp;C wasn't just breaking all the old rules: we're making the new ones. I won't apologize for that."

"Maya, I'm not asking for an apology. I'm just saying that I should have been in the loop. Trust me when I say that I'm the last person who should be judging anyone for bad press."

"Look, Brooke, I'll check in with you before I do anything else that represents the company, but 'The Beauty Inside' trended on Twitter last night. The papers and TV shows ripped L&amp;C a new one, but all I've heard since I came here is that they aren't our demographic. The blogs loved our march. Web outlets everywhere are praising L&amp;C's stance on body positivity and diversity. I gave up a cushy job and your son because you promised me that I would be able to make a difference. And like I said before, sales are up. We are the most talked about fashion startup since the economy tanked."

"And I thank you for that, Maya. Now I need you to meet up with RJ and Amber. You three are going to try to figure out just how our launch is going to top all of this promotion. And when your meeting is done, send RJ to me with his finalized designs. We're all going to be working late tonight."

B&amp;B

"This is it? You're certain you made the switch?"

"Yes, Mr. Crane," the man assured him. "The security was pretty heavy at the Forrester mansion, but I'm a professional. This is the exact item that you requested."

"Thank you. You will find the amount we agreed upon has already been deposited into your offshore account."

After his contractor had left, Julian ripped open the package and sneered.

"It's just me and you, Stephanie. The only regret I have is that you died before I came here." Julian hung the portrait on the wall of his penthouse. "Your sister, she thinks she's ready for me but we both know she's not. Pamela always needed a protector. That was supposed to be me. But you ruined that. You ruined what Pamela and I shared and now she is paying for it."

Julian walked away from the portrait and poured himself a cup of coffee. He looked out of his window to the city of Los Angeles. Harmony had been many things, but it had never been as alive as this metropolis.

"I almost forgot about your involvement in all this. I spent so many years hating Pamela for what she did that I forgot you were her weapon of choice. She ruined my life and she used you to do it!" Julian screamed at the portrait. Even as a painting on canvas, Stephanie looked down on him. He threw his cup and it smashed to the floor. "I hope you're enjoying that hellfire, Stephanie. I hope you feel those flames licking at your flesh, that your every moment is an eternity of agony.

"But not even the devil himself hates you as much as I do. What he has planned is nothing compared to what I would do to you if given the chance. But Pamela... She's different. When I ruin her, I have to do it in a way that will destroy her utterly and completely. She's not a wild beast like you were."

Regretting his fit of anger, Julian stepped over the broken ceramic and fetched another mug and filled it. The coffee was dark and bitter. His thoughts were dark and bitter.

"I do appreciate Brooke telling me about this portrait of you. The hateful likeness of my greatest foe... It's the closest I can get to having you here to see the downfall of everything your sister holds dear. In fact, I've already begun to take steps beyond dismantling Forrester and make things more personal. I find that the small touches hurt far more than the grand gestures. It's the immediacy and intimacy.

"You know something about hurting people, Stephanie." Raising his mug, Julian toasted the image of his late nemesis. "This next move I dedicate to you. I can only hope that it is as cruel as what you and your sister did to me."

B&amp;B

"I still can't believe you managed to win those tickets to Date Knight!" Pam gushed as she held her boyfriend's arm.

"Yeah, Charlie, Preview Week has been sold out for months. Aly is a Forrester and even that couldn't get us tickets. This is super cool." Oliver smiled and watched his girlfriend admire the axes on display.

"I want this one," Aly declared as she pointed at the largest, heaviest looking axe on the table. She also indicated that she would take one of the small hatchets.

"I didn't even know that collecting axes was a thing until I met Aly," Oliver bragged. "I mean, guns I get, but axes?"

"Yes, well, I think the only people who should have guns are police officers and security guards. They're much too dangerous to be in the hands of the general public." Charlie pulled up his belt. "Now who wants fried cheese on a stick?"

"Me! I do!" Pam bounced on the balls of her feet. "Can you get me two? I love fair food."

"Oliver, can you take these back to the car for me?" Aly practically dropped her newly acquired weapons into his hands. "Thanks."

"Not a problem, Miss F." Oliver kissed Aly and Pam clapped her hands. After the hell her week had been, it was nice to see people being happy and in love.

Then a shout broke through the peace. The three of them looked at the source of the disturbance and saw two knights sword fighting. They were using wooden swords, so nobody would be hurt, but it was exciting nonetheless.

"Here you go." Charlie had returned and handed Pam her food, but his focus was completely on the fight.

"Finish him! Slice his head off and put it on a pike!" Aly screamed as she cheered on her knight of choice.

"She's so cute," Oliver whispered to Pam. 'I'm gonna take these to the car. The driver won't mind, will he?"

"I don't see why not. He takes me to my NRA meetings," Pam whispered back. She didn't want Charlie to know she still had a Concealed Carry license.

As Aly drew closer to the make believe violence, her words grew more and more vicious. Pam thought it was adorable how Aly wanted the black knight to wipe out the white knight's entire bloodline.

"I shall aide you comrade!" Another knight cried. He was on horseback. They were really putting on a show for Date Knight. It only made sense, though. Preview week, and Date Knight especially, were how the renn faire drummed up word of mouth and good press before it officially opened to the public.

Pam and Charlie were both excited as the knight began to ride to the battle, albeit at a slow trot so that nobody would be hurt by a galloping horse, but then something happened.

The horse began bucking and threw its rider off. "Silas! Stop it!" one of the knights yelled at the steed. As the performers broke character, everyone in the crowd started to panic and move out of the way of the animal. The horse began kicking at the air and then one of its hooves connected with the side of Charlie's head.

Then it all stopped. It was like someone hit the pause button on Pam's life. Before she even had time to breathe, it all started back up. Charlie hit the ground and the horse settled itself.

"Someone call 911!" Pam screamed as she knelt next her unconscious boyfriend.

"Where is the other guy?" One of the actors asked the other as they led the eerily calm horse away from Charlie and the growing crowd of onlookers.

B&amp;B

"Where were you?" Brooke looked over the designs, then stared down her son. "RJ, you can't just disappear for four days and then expect me to act like nothing happened. As your mother, I was worried sick, but as your boss I'm pissed off."

"I needed a break for my mental health. In Paris, all of this... Your indiscretions were so far removed from my everyday life that I could pretend like they didn't bother me. But I can't do that in LA. I can't do that here, working with you. I'm sorry. I won't leave again."

"You won't. And you won't be paid for the days you were gone. I've already discussed it with Julian and he's in complete agreement. You were incredibly unprofessional, RJ. You're lucky that's all we're doing."

"Yes, Ma'am." He bit his bottom lip and nodded.

Then Brooke softened and laid the designs on her desk. "Now, speaking as your mother, what happened? Where did you go? Why? Was it because of those articles about me?"

"I'm not ashamed of you, Mom." RJ couldn't look at her. He couldn't let her see the moment he switched from the truth to lies. "You can have sex with whoever you want. You always have and you don't give a fuck what anyone says. I love that about you. It's just... I know Noah Newman."

Something changed in Brooke's voice. "You know him?"

RJ still couldn't look at her, not even when Brooke's voice cracked on "him".

"We were friends in Paris. Me, Noah, and his girlfriend Eden. That artsy boarding school I went to... They went there, too. We were friends even though I was younger than them. So it was just this weird collision of my two worlds. Does that make any sense? It just freaked me out. But you don't have to apologize: I do. And I'm sorry."

"Honey," Brooke reached across her desk and lifted his head up. She looked into his eyes. "That's enough. I love you. That's enough. Now you go home and rest up for tomorrow. I'm going to stay here a little longer and go over these designs."

"Good night, Boss."

"Good night, Mr. Logan."

RJ excused himself and left Brooke's office. The entire walk to the exit was just him wondering why he was lying. Amber was right: Brooke wouldn't care.

"RJ!" A woman called from the public entrance. Blinking, he shook his head and looked to where the security guards were refusing a young woman entry. "RJ, can't you tell them to let me in?"

He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. The reason he could never articulate, the person who was always mentioned but never actually present...

With a smile he hadn't expected, RJ ran to her and pushed past the security guards. "Guys, it's okay. She's with me."

"Sure thing, Mr. Logan." The shorter one said as he and his partner stepped aside to allow them both onto the premises.

"Eden Baldwin, what the hell are you doing in Los Angeles? I haven't seen you in four years!"

Smiling, Eden held RJ's hand and led him away from the security guards and to the first empty room she could find. After locking the door behind her, she hugged RJ. It was warm and inviting and he returned the gesture.

"I came as soon as I was able. I tried to see you yesterday, but they wouldn't let me in the building. They wouldn't even give Amber a message for me and I don't have her new number!"

Of course Eden knew Amber. Amber knew Noah, so it only made sense.

"I was out of town, anyway. Still, it's great to see you. What are you doing here? Where have you been? How have you been?"

"We'll get to that, RJ. The reason I'm here is to make sure you're okay."

"Why wouldn't I be?" RJ was nervous. He pulled at the collar of his t-shirt. In his excitement to see his old friend, he had actually forgotten everything going on with his life.

"Noah. It's about you and Noah and your mom."

"Yeah." All RJ could muster was a nervous chuckle before he turned his back to Eden. "That's news outside of LA?"

"My sister-in-law called to tell me. I just had to..."

RJ spun around and asked the question the question he knew he didn't want her to answer.

"You had to what?"

"You don't have to lie to me, RJ. I know it hurt having Noah sleep with your mom. I know you were in love with him back in Paris."


	7. Chapter 7

The restaurant was busy, but RJ didn't care. He wished he were old enough to drink. When he asked for a bottle of wine the waitress carded him. So, without the aid of alcohol, all he could do was fuss around with his lemonade and do his best to avoid Eden's glance.

She probably thought he was just being awkward or something. No, RJ had no idea what she was thinking. Eden hadn't elaborated on her claim that she knew RJ had been in love with Noah when they were in Paris. He thought nobody knew about them except for Amber. It wasn't like RJ gave her time to expand on it, insisting that they go out to discuss it instead of hanging out in some empty office.

"Are you going to even look at me?" Eden tapped the table and sighed. "Was I wrong? Oh god, I was wrong. My gaydar is terrible. This is like that time I tried to talk to my nephew about how it's okay to like boys."

"Umm..." RJ took a drink of his lemonade and pretended it was whiskey before he continued his thought. Eden covered her face with her hands. "You aren't completely wrong."

Eden lowered her hands but the flush of embarrassment remained in her cheeks. "I'm not? Oh thank god. I was mortified. I still kind of am. Wait, what am I not wrong about?"

Quirking the right side of his mouth into a half smile, RJ stirred his lemonade with the straw before answering: the sound of the ice clinking against the glass was somewhat soothing. "I am... Yeah, I'm gay. But how did you know?"

"No offence meant, RJ, but only an idiot wouldn't know. Have you ever seen a video of yourself running? Or walking? Or even talking?"

"Yikes," was RJ's only comment before he took another sip of his lemonade. Then he followed up when he saw Eden's face. "What I mean is, am I that obvious?"

"An SNL skit is less subtle."

"Do people still watch that?"

Eden shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. I just went for the first pop culture reference I could."

"What do you know about Noah?" RJ shifted the conversation where he didn't want it to go. All he wanted was for it to be over: he hated feeling like that because he really did love getting to see Eden again. She had been such a huge part of his life when his family wasn't.

After nervously rolling her shoulders, Eden seemed to freeze for a few seconds before speaking. "Like I said, you aren't subtle. I knew you had a crush on Noah all through school."

"You weren't mad?" RJ wished the food was done so he could do more than busy himself with his drink while he searched for something to say. "He was your boyfriend."

That was when Eden smiled. "I thought it was cute. You were all you and trying to hide it and Noah is the most oblivious person ever born. How could I be mad?"

That was when RJ fought the urge to tell Eden everything. All he wanted to do was confide in his friend about just how much Noah had and still did mean to him; he wanted Eden to know that he had once meant something to Noah, too. There was nothing more he wanted than to just spill his guts and blow her mind.

Instead, he faked a cough and took another sip of lemonade.

"Today is my return flight. I hate to just start a conversation and leave, but journalism school is a bitch and my job only gave me three days off. I'm gonna be a walking zombie tomorrow."

"Journalism school?" RJ appreciated the change of subject. "Since when do you want to be a journalist?"

Eden smiled. "For a long time, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I worked as a barista and lived in an apartment that Michael and Lauren, my brother and his wife, they co-signed it for me and helped out whenever I didn't have enough money for rent and bills. But things in Genoa City got heavy and I left. I'm living in Chicago. Michael and Lauren still help out financially, but I'm going to school and I'm still working as a barista four days a week on top of that."

"Things got heavy in Genoa City..." RJ echoed. That was what Noah had told him, too. He looked into Eden's eyes and faked a smile. "I'm okay. Thanks for coming to see me. Really. It was... I missed you."

"I have to be the airport in a couple hours. Would it be too much to ask you to see me off?"

B&amp;B

"Maya's stunt in San Francisco... Forrester's sales just keep dropping. What are you people doing to fix the problem?" Rick yelled as he slammed his fist on the conference table. "Logan &amp; Crane is a startup. This time last month, they were nobody, and now they're getting all the press."

"But Spencer Publications and all the traditional magazines excoriated Maya's naked parade as classless and tacky," Ivy pointed out.

"And nobody knows classless and tacky better than you, Ivy. We get it," Caroline snapped. "What do you want us to, Rick? You wanted to be CEO. You wanted to lead this company in a new direction. So let's get to it. Start leading."

"I want you and Ridge to get out of the cafeteria for more than twenty minutes at a time and do something innovative. Forrester is still profitable, but we aren't setting trends anymore. We're chasing them and that's bad for business. Our old standbys of rich white people isn't cutting it anymore. You saw that Logan &amp; Crane is targeting a new audience. We need a new line that'll do that. We can still make stuff for our intensely loyal current audience, but something has to change."

"What are you saying, Rick? You want me and Caroline to waste our time designing clothes for low class people? They'll never buy anything we make. Forrester is a name synonymous with elegance. The Logan &amp; Crane audience is trash."

"Logan &amp; Crane can chase the ghetto market," Caroline agreed. "If I design something, I want it sold in Paris and Milan, not Harlem and Atlanta."

Rick blinked at his brother and his ex-wife. How had he ever loved her?

"Do you two have a problem with black people wearing our clothes?"

"Of course not!" Caroline gasped. "How could you think that?"

"Do you two not listen to anything you say? I'm offended and I'm white."

Ridge snarled and ripped open a bag of Cheetos. "I don't remember us saying a thing about black people. Caroline and I can't be racist. If we were racist, would we be friends with Carter?"

"Get out." Rick pointed to the door. "You two can keep doing the same shit for the same people. I'll hire a new designer for our new line. Someone who isn't white."

Indignant, Caroline helped Ridge out of his seat and they left the room. With no other options, Rick reluctantly tuned to Ivy.

"Do you have any ideas?"

"We could hire Lily Ashby. She was a model for Jabot Cosmetics a few years back."

"I said I don't want any more white people, Ivy. God. What are you even good for?"

B&amp;B

Julian smirked as he put his phone back in his pocket. All of his plans were coming together perfectly. L&amp;C was a rising star, Forrester was beginning to tumble, and then there was the renaissance faire business.

It hadn't mattered who the victim was or if they lived. Julian would have been happy if it had been the girl or her boyfriend, but it was just delicious that it had been Pamela's paramour.

As much as he wanted to visit Pamela at the hospital and gloat, Julian was busy. He had a million things to do and not enough time to do it.

He left his apartment building intending to catch Brooke at the office. Julian was walking to his car, which was parked along the street, when a vehicle going way too fast swerved onto the sidewalk and struck him. As Julian lay bleeding on the sidewalk, the car pulled back onto the road and kept going as though he had never been there.

B&amp;B

"Don't be a stranger. It's a lot easier for you to come to Chicago and see me," Eden told RJ before kissing him on the cheek.

"And you call me sometime. I'm gonna be busy as hell the next few months and might forget. Call me any time of day. I mean it."

Hugging his dear friend, RJ wished for a moment that he had told her everything. But it was the past and it no longer mattered.

"Bye," he said, bouncing on his heels and waving at Eden as she stepped up to her gate.

"Bye," she returned after she stepped in line.

RJ walked away from the terminal and sat down in the first empty seat he saw. He put his hands in his face and sighed. It was so late and he was tired. He would have to take a cab home and send someone for the car in the morning. It was all such a bother.

"It was really her, wasn't it?"

RJ looked to his left, then to his right. Then he turned around and saw Noah. He had a duffel bag slung around his shoulder. The first instinct RJ had was to yell that Noah had a bomb and run off. He went with his second choice.

"Are you stalking me?"

"I just got in from Paris. There are still things in LA I need to take care of. Was that her?"

Crossing his arms and turning back around, RJ closed his eyes and tilted his head. "I don't know anyone by the name of 'her'."

"You know I meant Eden, RJ." Then RJ felt Noah's hands on his shoulders and his whole body stiffened. "Was that Eden?"

"...yes." RJ squeaked out as he tried to calm his suddenly racing heart. He was so glad he couldn't see Noah. He didn't think he would be able to breathe. In Paris, when he walked away, he thought it was over. But his reactions proved it wasn't.

"Why was she... Is she okay? God, I haven't seen her in so long. How is she?"

"She's fine. She moved on with her life. It's a cue I should take." RJ jerked away from Noah's touch and leaned forward so that his elbows were on his knees. "Go away, Noah."

But the other man didn't listen. Instead, he walked over to and sat beside RJ. "Did you tell her about us?"

Then RJ opened his eyes and looked to his unwanted conversation partner. The fear that RJ had been expecting wasn't in Noah's eyes: they were sad. They reflected some of what RJ was feeling.

"I wouldn't out you, Noah. I may hate you, but not that much. I didn't even tell Amber. She guessed."

"Amber didn't guess." Noah sat his duffel bag on the floor and grabbed RJ's hand. "I told her, RJ. That day, on the phone, I told her about us. I don't care if people know about me, if they know I was with you. I'm not ashamed or embarrassed by it. I'm embarrassed by how I ended it with you."

"Eden knew I loved you," RJ sighed as he looked from Noah's eyes to his hands. They were cold but he didn't mind. "In Paris, that is. When the three of us were still friends. That entire time, she knew I had a crush on you. She didn't care because she knew nothing would come of it. I was just your weird, fey little friend."

Noah squeezed RJ's hands. When he looked back up to his ex, RJ wasn't surprised that Noah was smiling. He always loved Noah's smile, even when he hated everything else about him.

"I'm sorry about Paris. I shouldn't have... I said things I didn't mean," RJ offered. He wasn't sure what he was saying: it was like someone else was speaking through him.

"You told me that you still love me. I think. My French is a little rusty." Noah's smile never wavered. "Did you mean it?"

RJ didn't answer. He pulled his hands out of Noah's and looked away.

Then Noah put a hand on RJ's chest and felt his heart beating a mile a minute. He put the other hand on the side of RJ's neck. "This is shit of me to say, but I never really stopped loving you, either."

"You loved Eden more," RJ choked out, his voice cracking as tears threatened to fall. "Would you even be here talking to me if she hadn't gotten on the plane?"

"I don't know." Noah's honesty made RJ bite back a sob. "But she did. She's gone and I'm not trying to buy a ticket on her plane. I'm not chasing after her. Because, after I left you in Paris, I learned that as much as Eden and I love each other, we can't go back to what we were."

RJ turned to his former lover. He could barely make out his face through the unshed tears. "What makes you think you and I can? That I even want you?"

Noah's answer was a kiss. This wasn't like Paris, where they didn't know anyone around them and they were nobodies with money. This was Los Angeles and RJ was an up-and-coming fashion designer and Noah had just been on the covers of tabloids. But none of that mattered.

It was over as soon as it had begun. It was small and chaste and it unleashed the flood RJ had barely been holding back. And as he cried, as RJ emptied himself in the middle the airport, Noah held him.

B&amp;B

It was still dark out when Brooke woke up. Her car was still running and she fumbled around for the ignition. After turning it off, she brushed her hair out of her face. She didn't remember leaving the office. Reaching under the seat, Brooke felt for and found her flask. It was empty.

Assuring herself that everything was okay, because surely she wouldn't have forgotten hurting somebody, Brooke climbed out of her car and stumbled to her front door. She shut it behind her and then collapsed against it. As she slid to the floor, exhaustion overtaking her body once more, Brooke thought to herself that she needed a nightcap.

B&amp;B

Ridge was awoken from his sleep by a pounding on his door. As he slung the Mountain Dew bottles out of the bed, he made sure not to wake Caroline. The woman usually slept like the dead, though.

"I'm coming!" He bellowed as he wiped the popcorn grease off his hands and onto his nightshirt.

When he opened the door, Ridge was shocked to see Taylor. There was a clattering as she dropped her car keys. Taylor clung to Ridge's massive frame. "I just made a horrible mistake."


	8. Chapter 8

"I hope you're proud of yourself." Pam stood in the doorway of Julian's hospital room. "I overheard the nurses talking. You're gonna be fine. You only broke your ankles."

"Pamela? You're concerned about me? I'm touched." Julian picked his cup of jello up and toasted it to her.

Shaking her head, Pam stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. "No, Julian, I wish you had died. But the cops know who hit you. It was a guy named Sonny Kiriakis. Apparently he's wanted in some town named Salem. He hit a cop there and then went on the run. They'll catch him eventually."

"Still, it's nice to know you came to visit," Julian laughed. She knew that he didn't care that his ankles were broken. He could afford all the painkillers in the world. "What's new with you? Dating anybody?"

"You can go straight to heck, Julian. I don't know how, but I know you were involved in what happened to Charlie. He's brain-dead. The hospital is trying to get ahold of his sister..." Pam accidentally let out a sob. It made Julian smile and she wanted to smash his jello in his face. "You murdered him, Julian. You think getting hit by a car hurts? You know nothing. You have no idea what the fudge I am capable of, Mister."

"So you keep saying." Julian dropped his jello to the table.

"And now I'm gonna start doing, Julian. You better watch yourself."

B&amp;B

"In a move that surprised absolutely nobody, RJ Logan, the Forrester heir and lead designer of LA's hottest new fashion company Logan &amp; Crane, was caught canoodling at the LAX airport with a boy! But that's not the scandalous part. Oh no. The young man with Mr. Logan was none other than Noah Newman, who just last week was photographed with RJ's own mother Brooke Logan! We're used to the Logan women sharing men, but the guys are in on it, too? This is beyond delicious. Now let's turn to the video making the rounds on the internet."

Ridge turned off the TV and bit into his ice cream sandwich. This was what Taylor had warned him would happen. She hadn't... She didn't think about RJ being Ridge's son. If Ridge were honest with himself, he always favoured Steffy and Thomas and Phoebe over RJ. Maybe that was why RJ had never told him.

"I can't believe Taylor outed RJ like that. That's horrible. Why was she even at the airport?" Caroline asked as she pulled the pizza out of the toaster oven. Ridge loved her so much for moving it from the kitchen to the living room. It made life so much easier.

"She'd just come back from visiting her friend Dr. Fascinella. I guess Taylor refers a lot of clients to him. She says he did wonders for her self-esteem," Ridge explained. "But she... She sold out my son to the press because his last name is Logan. I can't believe that. I knew Taylor hated Brooke, but not that much."

"Have you talked to him? Do you want me to talk to him? I do have two moms, so I understand what he's going through better most others would," Caroline offered. She picked up the can of cheese whiz and began to cover the pizza.

"That is so thoughtful, but I want him to come to me when he's ready." Ridge reminded Caroline to add the jellybeans, then cracked open a fresh gallon of orange drank.

"Do you... Should we tell anyone about what Taylor did?" Caroline asked as she drizzled the chocolate syrup over the jellybeans. "Or would that cause more problems? She came to you begging for your forgiveness."

"That's the thing. I'm not the one she has to ask," Ridge sighed. He tossed a handful of marshmallows on the pizza, then thanked Caroline for always taking care of him. "I love you."

"And I love you," she replied as she dipped her finger into the caramel dip and held it to Ridge's lips.

B&amp;B

Brooke nursed her hangover with a bottle of chardonnay. Her phone was off because even on vibrate it gave her a headache. She had checked her name on her tablet to make sure she hadn't pulled a Taylor and left someone lying dead on the road.

"Oh my god," Brooke whispered before wincing. The story all over the blogs had her photos with that Noah kid, but there were also pictures of him with RJ. There was a video link and against her better judgment Brooke tapped it.

Her brain was thankful the video was silent, but she watched as her emotional son interacted with Noah. She gripped the neck of her chardonnay bottle when Noah grabbed RJ's hands. Then she watched as Noah kissed RJ; her heart broke when RJ started crying and Noah held him.

The video stopped and Brooke took a long drink from her bottle. Her poor baby. It was obvious he and Noah were closer than he'd told her. He likely lied to her about how he even knew Noah.

Brooke remembered her night with Noah and cringed. A once happy memory now brought, not shame, but sadness. RJ was so hurt and she didn't notice. She was too busy with work. Of course he ran to wherever he went to get away from her. No wonder.

She dropped her tablet to the table and took a swig of her chardonnay. All she wanted to do was have a fun night; she wanted to work with her son. This wasn't fair.

Brooke screamed and threw the bottle at her door just as someone opened it. Taylor screamed and ducked. The bottle barely missed her head as it sailed outside and smashed on the concrete.

"What do you want?" Brooke slurred as she pointed at Taylor. "Why are you here? To gloat? Look at Brooke, she's such a whore she even fucks her son's men?"

"Is RJ here? Ridge sent me. I need to talk to him." Taylor stepped inside and closed the door. "I take it you've seen the news?"

"I honestly don't care what you think about my son, Taylor. Who cares if my little boy likes other boys? Yours likes to blow up cars!"

"Brooke? Are you okay?" Taylor held her hands out to Brooke, but didn't approach her.

"Is your face okay?" Brooke asked, mocking her rival. "Why are you here, Taylor? What the hell do you want?"

"I told you. I need to talk to RJ. Ridge doesn't... We don't know where his apartment is. I was hoping he might be here. It's important."

"What is so important that you need to see him? Did Ridge send you over to do that therapy thing that would make RJ straight? I won't let you. I will kill you before I let near my son. He's fine just the way he is, Taylor. Get out of my house!"

"Brooke, be reasonable. That's not..." Taylor started before Brooke stumbled to a nearby table and grabbed a vase.

"I SAID GET OUT!" Brooke screamed as she threw the vase at Taylor. The psychiatrist threw open the door and started running. As fast as she could manage, Brooke followed her to the doorway. "AND STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY SON YOU EVIL BITCH!"

B&amp;B

Maya hadn't seen Rick since she left Forrester for L&amp;C. She still remembered him calling her a traitor and telling her to get out of the mansion.

"What do you want?" She snapped, making sure to stay on the offensive.

Rick looked apologetic, but she wasn't buying it. "Maya, are you okay? I know that RJ being outed is everywhere, but I also know that Julian Crane guy was hit by a car. Things at L&amp;C have to be a nightmare."

He was fishing for information. Maya knew it. Rick wasn't worried at all. He just wanted to confirm that neither Brooke nor Julian nor RJ had showed up for work.

"Everything is just fine at L&amp;C. I am just fine, Rick. My work fulfills me in ways that you never could." Maya crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap. She slapped on her face the smile she knew would infuriate him the most. "Is there anything else you need to know?"

"Have you talked to RJ? Me, Mom, everyone else, really... We're used to this. But I remember the first time something like this happened to Hope. She got hooked on pain killers and it was really scary.

"Nobody's heard from him. You know he vanished a few days ago after the photos with my mom and that guy came out? Now everyone knows why. I can't even imagine what's going through his head."

Dropping her fake and hostile demeanour, Maya reached out and grabbed Rick's hands. Even if she hated the hell out of him right now, Maya did still love Rick. "RJ is... He's probably just taking a mental health day. I'm sure he's fine."

"Nobody knows where he lives, Maya. I called my mom and she was a crying mess, Ridge is clueless, Hope is still in Italy: nobody knows a damn thing. Where is RJ? Where is that Newman guy?"

"He's okay," Maya assured Rick. "Listen, my lunch break is almost up and I need to get back to work. But if I see or hear from RJ, I'll call you. Okay?"

She stood up, but Rick kept ahold of her hands. "I miss you."

"And until I get an apology, you can just keep missing me," Maya said as she pulled herself out of his grip and walked away.

B&amp;B

"I had no idea RJ was gay," Donna said as she looked into her compact mirror and applied her lipstick.

"I kinda figured he might be, but I was never around him enough to really get a good gauge, you know? Besides, it was none of my business."

"You know, I had a friend in school who was just like RJ. Everyone knew he was gay before he did," Ivy added. "I hope he's okay."

"We all hope he's okay, Ivy. God. Why are you being such a bitch?" Donna scoffed as she snapped her compact shut. "This is about RJ, not your stupid friend. Quit trying to make everything about you."

"Way uncool, Ivy," Carter agreed.

B&amp;B

Aly held Pam. They watched from the window; the doctors had established contact with Charlie's sister. She told them to pull the plug. Charlie was going to die and all Pam could do was watch. Her hand trembled as she held a crocheted kerchief to her mouth, but no tears fell. There would time for crying later.

"His sister is flying out as soon as she can," Aly reminded Pam. "At least his suffering is over. Right? We have to look at this positively."

Pam slipped away from Aly and walked away from the window. She couldn't watch Charlie die.

"No, Doodlebug," Pam whispered as her grip on the kerchief became like iron. "His suffering is not over. In fact, it's just beginning."

B&amp;B

The best part of chartering a private jet was that one did not have to wait for other passengers to disembark. The woman held her hat on her head with one hand, and used the other to hold the railing as she descended from the plane. When her white flats touched the tarmac, she used the hand that had been on the railing to remove her sunglasses.

Surveying the private airstrip, the woman found herself unimpressed. She had been expecting something grander. She thought LA was glitz and glamour. Scoffing, she stowed her sunglasses in her purse and waited for someone to bring her luggage.

"Your car is waiting just outside, Ma'am," the pilot told her as he followed her out of the plane. "Do you want me to radio ahead and tell him where you're going?"

She stopped and regarded the pilot as if he were an idiot. "If I knew where he was, I never would have come to this city."

"He, who, Ma'am?"

Looking away from the pilot, the woman started walking again. "'He' is my son. I'm in Los Angeles because I need to see my son: I need to see Noah Newman."


	9. Chapter 9

"I'm coming!" RJ called to whomever was banging on his door. He reluctantly climbed out of his bed and slid on a robe. He unlocked the door and opened it. "How did you... Oh."

"You know me? I don't believe we've met," the woman said as she pushed past RJ and walked into his loft. "You're RJ Logan, right? Now where the hell is my son?"

"Mom?" Noah cried from the bed on the other end of the room.

"You family is worth billions, and you still buy a loft where the bed is in the same room as your kitchen?" Sharon scoffed. She stormed over to the bed, grabbed Noah by the ear, and pulled.

"Ow! I'm coming!" Noah cried as he struggled to follow his mother and keep the blanket wrapped around his midsection.

"You know this idiot slept with your mother, right?" Sharon asked as she twisted Noah's ear, making him bend in pain. RJ wanted to do something to help Noah, but he also didn't want to get on this woman's bad side.

"We're working through that," RJ told her.

She released Noah with a shove. He walked away from her and half-hid behind RJ.

"Mom, what are you doing here? And you dyed your hair again?"

"Shush, her hair looks gorgeous," RJ turned around and lightly slapped Noah's shoulder. Then he turned back to the intruder and smiled. "You make a lovely brunette, Mrs. Newman."

"Ms. Collins, actually," Noah's mother corrected. "And thank you, young man. At least my son has better taste in men than he does women."

"I was going to tell you... Wait, how did you even know where I am?" Noah asked. "Are you having me followed or something?"

She crossed her arms and stared at both of the young men until they shrank with fear. "Have either one of you turned on a TV? Or the radio? Or gone on the internet? Because I know you sure as hell aren't answering your phones."

"I turned them off so that you could sleep in," Noah told RJ, hand on the small of his back. "I probably shouldn't have done that."

"Sorry, Ms. Collins. Or would you prefer Sharon?"

"From you?" Sharon pointed at RJ with her index finger, then made a "Z" in the air with it. "Ms. Collins will do just fine."

"How did you find this place? My family has never been here, and I paid extra so that it would be unlisted. Speaking of which, I never found out how Noah here found me, either." RJ turned and looked at Noah with both eyebrows raised. "Well?"

"I had money to burn and asked around. Someone's cousin was the doorman here. He remembered your name. Don't have him fired. I paid for his daughter's braces."

"Ugh. Fine." RJ rolled his eyes at Noah, then looked back to Sharon. "Ms. Collins?"

"I called Logan &amp; Crane and asked for Amber Moore. We were acquaintances in Genoa City. She told me where you live because not a single member of your family has been able to get in touch with you, and not a one of them thought to ask her a thing."

Sharon snapped her fingers and then pointed again, her index finger at RJ and her middle finger at Noah.

"Now, we have serious things to discuss, but before we continue, I need both of you to go put some clothes. Now!"

Sharon stomped on the floor and RJ jumped in the air with a "yipe!" before running to his closet, Noah hot on his heels.

"Thank god this thing is a walk-in," Noah said as RJ turned the light on and shut the door. "Um... My clothes, including my duffel bag, are out by the bed. I'm scared. Can you get them for me? Because you're about seven inches shorter than me and you probably only weigh 90 pounds. Your stuff won't fit me and my mom probably won't hit you."

"I am five inches shorter than you, I weigh a hundred and thirty pounds, and you will try on these boxers and this t-shirt because it's a large. Whenever my dad buys me anything, it's always ugly and the wrong size. Make do," RJ ordered as he shoved the clothes into Noah's hands, causing him to drop the blanket.

"Hey, do you think we could..."

"Your mother is twenty feet away and I'm scared for my life. So no, Noah Newman, we are not having a quickie. I'm not even sure I want you for more than last night."

"And this morning. And lunch time," Noah laughed as he slipped on the boxers, then the t-shirt. "Hey, I kinda like this shirt. Why would you think it's ugly?"

"It is, ugly, Noah," RJ said as he began dressing himself. "And that is precisely why you like it." As soon as he had the pajama bottoms on, RJ opened the closet door and grabbed Noah's wrist. "No coming out of the closet jokes or I'm going to leave you to face your mother. Alone."

"Fine. Okay." Noah agreed before RJ drug him back out into the lion's den. "We are dressed now, Mom. So why are you here? And, uh, why weren't you surprised to find me in RJ's bed? He's a guy. He doesn't act like one, but he is one."

RJ elbowed Noah in the stomach. He grinned when Noah doubled over. "Is there something we missed, Ms. Collins?"

"You two are the cover story on the Spencer Publications website. And the Port Charles Press. Genoa City Buzz..."

"We get it, Mom," Noah interrupted.

"I told you people recognized us in the airport," RJ hissed at Noah through gritted teeth, stomping one foot on the floor. "Ms. Collins, trust me when I say..."

Sharon held a hand up and RJ stopped talking. "No. I don't know you and as such I can't trust you. I don't even trust the people I do know. Noah? Your grandfather knows."

"He does?" Noah's face went pale. "Oh god, I didn't even consider that."

"This is a bad thing?" RJ looked from Noah to Sharon and back to Noah. "You never seemed worried about your grandfather before. You know, when you slept with my mom!"

RJ accidentally caught himself yelling the last few words.

"Sorry, Ms. Collins. I swear, I'm working on getting over that. It might take a while, but it's pretty much a family tradition at this point."

"I'm not sure I want to know what that means. Anyway, Noah, when Victor found out, he started running around the ranch screaming 'How dare he blah blah blah blah blah. You know how he gets. Anyway, I remembered your credit card information, so I bought you two tickets to Venice from LA. Victor and your father are on their way there now. I figured I would come here, find you, and figure out just what you're doing."

Noah blinked. "Mom, are you off your meds again? Because you just said a lot of things."

Sharon threw up her hands and sighed. "No. You know what? I won't be offended that you think any time I don't cower to a Newman man it means I'm off my beds."

She reached into her purse and produced an amber coloured plastic bottle with a screw on white lid. She shook it, then tossed it to Noah who caught it.

"Go ahead. Count them. I won't get mad."

"I'll be right back," Noah assured RJ as he touched his arm with his fingertips. He walked to the small dining table just off the kitchenette while Sharon walked over to and sat on the edge of RJ's bed.

RJ was so weirded out by everything happening.

"You." Sharon pointed at RJ again. Then she patted the bed. "Come sit by me."

Reluctant as he was, RJ joined her anyway because he was scared of what would happen if he didn't.

"Mom, be nice to him," Noah cautioned as he opened the bottle and spread the pills out on the table.

"I'm always nice!" Sharon snapped at her son. Then she turned to RJ and smiled. "We haven't exactly had the best introduction. Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?"

Whether she was on her pills or not, RJ was certain that this woman was crazy. "Um... I'm 20. I was born in Los Angeles, but went to school in Paris. That's where I first met Noah. I'm now a fashion designer." RJ locked up and looked to Noah, but he was still counting the pills. "Um, that's about it. I kinda don't have a life outside of work and this."

"'This' being my son," Sharon clarified to a nodding RJ. "How did you two meet? You said you met in Paris? Noah hasn't been to Paris in years. Or did you meet during his two day stint over there a few days ago? And yes, I know about that, Noah. I am the one paying your credit card bills."

When RJ looked to Noah for guidance, all he got was a shrug and a curse. Noah took all the pills he had counted and scattered them back across the table so he could start the counting over again.

"Um, no, we didn't just meet in Paris, though he did only go there the other day because of me. Like I said, we met while in school. I was a couple years behind Noah and Eden."

"That's a name I haven't heard in a while," Sharon said, getting that look people did whenever they were trying to remember something.

"Mom, let him talk or wait for me to finish with this," Noah called from across the loft. Then he groaned and restarted counting a second time.

"It looks like I would be waiting awhile, Honey," Sharon giggled. "Okay. RJ? Yeah, RJ, go ahead with your little story."

"Where was I?" RJ asked the assembled.

"Me. You. Eden. Paris. Now can I please count these already?"

"Nobody is stopping you!" Sharon yelled at her son. "Okay, go ahead. Tell me about Paris."

Scratching the back of his neck, RJ look over to the mirror he kept on the wall and decided he didn't want to be a redhead anymore. "Right. Paris. I knew Noah and Eden for a few years. But then they broke up and she moved back to Genoa City and Noah stayed in Paris with me for a year.

"We were pretty serious at the time, Ms. Collins. We just agreed not to tell anybody back home because we had no idea how you all would react. To the gay thing and the age thing and the living together in Paris with no adults thing."

"You two lived together? For a year. Noah, you better be happy I'm not your father. And don't you dare stop counting because this stopping and starting over again thing you've got going on is getting on my nerves," Sharon warned her son. "We will come back to this living together thing."

RJ swallowed a lump in his throat that felt like it might have been a basketball. "Yeah. Okay. Anyway, Noah and I broke up and we didn't see each other again until last week. It's been a whole crazy thing ever since because you've seen the news. I just started a new company with my mom and our financial backer Julian Crane, we've been getting crazy press for things of the work AND personal variety... Just lots of crazy."

"I don't care for the word crazy," Sharon told RJ with narrowed eyes. "It's actually quite offensive."

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, Ms. Collins. I didn't mean to offend you and I'll stop..."

"She's messing with you." Noah told RJ as he put one hand on his shoulder and used the other return Sharon's pills. "You're missing one or two, but I remember that you sometimes double your dosage if you can't remember if you took your meds. You should really get one of those pill boxes that sorts them out by days of the week."

"I'm not old, Noah. Those things are for old people," Sharon told her son. Then she looked at RJ and laughed. "He's right, though. I was just messing with you. I'm bipolar, but barring incidents where someone tampers with my meds I'm usually okay. And I get called crazy so often by dumb bitches that it means almost nothing to me anymore."

"Right." RJ nodded because he really didn't have anything to say.

"Are done grilling my... Can I call you my boyfriend?"

"We'll see," RJ answered as he smacked Noah's leg with the back of his hand. "But yeah, that's everything, Ms. Collins. As you can tell, we're still figuring everything out."

"So, if I have this right, you," Sharon pointed to Noah," have been gay for a while and collecting beards like your grandfather does moustache combs, and you're obviously gay but your family had no idea?"

"Why am I 'obviously' gay?" RJ wondered as he made air quotes with his fingers.

"RJ, dude, Helen Keller knows you're gay, and she's been dead for, like, 300 years."

"I don't think that's accurate," RJ said as he held up a finger. "Now, Ms. Collins, you mentioned Noah's grandfather? Why would that be an issue? Is he a homophobe? Because Noah isn't even gay. He's bisexual."

"Why do you gays act like my people are immune from homophobia?" Noah whined as he stepped away from his mother and RJ and flopped face first onto the bed. Then he began groaning into the sheet. "Oh my god, how did I never think of Victor?"

"I try to avoid thinking about Noah's grandfather whenever I can," Sharon assured RJ as though it were the most normal thing in the world to say. "Noah, honey, I'm sure after he abuses a few flight attendants he'll calm down. And if he doesn't, I'm always here."

"And Dad? You said Dad is with him."

"I think your dad wants to be a buffer. And if not, then he can kiss my ass, too." Sharon leaned across the bed and tried to smooth down Noah's bed head. "It'll be fine. This isn't like Adam. He wasn't really gay or bisexual or whatever. He was just sleeping with that guy to cover up the Ashley stuff, remember?"

"You knew a guy who pretended to be gay and went so far as to sleep with another man?" RJ's eyes were as big as dinner plates and he whistled. "I think that qualifies as crazy."

"Adam certainly was a sociopath," Sharon agreed. "I can't believe I ever actually married him."

"And I thought my family was nuts." RJ whistled again. Then there was a knock at the door and he excused himself. Sharon said something about going to the powder room and RJ pointed to the bathroom door for her. If it wasn't Amber, then RJ had no idea who it could be. He hoped that reporters hadn't found where he and Noah were, because apparently that was gonna be a thing. "Hi, sorry, could you come back later? There's something impor..."

"Hi, RJ. You remember me, right? Taylor? I was your stepmother a few times? I needed to see you and it took me forever to find this place and we really need to talk."

"Taylor..." RJ just stood in front of her in his pajamas.

"Can I come in?" She pushed her way past RJ and he wondered who else was just going to barge into his loft. She stopped when she saw Noah lying face down and partially clothed in RJ's bed. "Is that him? Noah Newman?"

"It's me!" Noah yelled from the bed, not bothering to look up.

"Good. I can apologize to both of you at once."

"Apologize? For what?" RJ asked. His day was so insane already and he hadn't even logged into Facebook.

Taylor held her hands behind her back and kind of bowed before speaking. "RJ, Noah, I'm the one who gave the video to the press. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

"Video?" Noah finally sat up and looked from Taylor to RJ. "What video are we talking about?"

Then the bathroom door flew open and Sharon stormed out. She looked so pissed off that RJ yelped and joined Noah on the bed.

"Wait a minute. You're the bitch who outed these boys?"

"I'm so sorry," Taylor cried, shaking her head. "I wasn't thinking, RJ. Please forgive me."

"No, forgive me," Sharon said calmly before head-butting Taylor. Then she threw her purse to RJ and Noah. "Boys, hold that for me. Mama's gotta take out some trash."


	10. Chapter 10

RJ traced the hole in his wall with his fingers. That had been...

"Your mom is hardcore," RJ told Noah, fearfully looking at his bathroom door in case Sharon came out. "Like, wow."

"I've never seen her beat a bitch with an extension cord before. She didn't even spank me or my sisters when we were little. Who was that woman, anyway?"

"The one who left a hole in my wall the shape of her face? That was Taylor Hayes. She's kind of... Whenever my dad isn't with my mom, he's usually with her. Right now, he's with Caroline, but nobody expects that to last."

"I'm familiar with the concept. My dad has a Taylor all his own, except her name is Phyllis. My mom never threw her into a wall, though. Well, not that I can remember." Noah ran a hand through his hair and dropped a couple slices of bread into the toaster. "Are you sure you don't want to stay? You haven't eaten anything."

"I really do need to go to work and see what the hell is going on. When I called Amber, she told me that my mom and Julian didn't show up, either. And while Amber can totally handle the creative end alone, nobody there really has experience in the business part."

"You spent your entire time in school just barely passing in math, RJ. You won't be of any use to anyone."

"Noah, I'm not gonna lie to you. I'm leaving mostly because I don't want to be here when your mom gets out of the shower. So, yeah. Bye!" RJ threw the door open, curtsied to Noah, and then ran like a bat out of hell.

B&amp;B

"How did you get this?" Donna asked as Pam hung the portrait of Stephanie above their desk. "Where did you get it? I thought Rick had it in storage."

"I found it," Pam answered, trying not to laugh.

"Does Rick know you got it out of storage? Does he know you're hanging it up here?" Ivy asked as she stared up at Stephanie's disapproving mug.

"I told you that I found it, Ivy. Don't you ever listen?" Pam snapped.

"That's it. You can all go to hell. I'm sick of this place and I'm sick of all of you. I'm not even a contract employee! I'm freelance. Free. Lance. So you don't even get a two week notice. So the Forresters and the Logans and all those in-between can kiss my ass because I'm out of here."

As Ivy sashayed away, Donna and Pam stared at each other with open mouths.

"Well that was rude," Donna said, her voice full of indignation.

"I know! And after everyone here went out of their way to be nice to her. Where did that even come from?" Pam agreed.

"Nowhere," Donna answered. "It came out of nowhere."

Then Pam went back to adjusting Stephanie's portrait and Donna shoved a Botox needle into her forehead.

B&amp;B

"Who are you and why are you in my hospital room?" Julian looked the woman over and felt severely unimpressed.

"My name is Ivy Forrester. I'm a jewelry designer," she answered as she picked up his cup of applesauce and peeled off the lid. Of course the hospital had dropped off his food while he was sleeping.

"And just what are you doing here, Ms. Forrester? If you're a spy, you're doing a pretty terrible job of it."

Ivy chuckled darkly as she stirred the applesauce with her finger. "Not at all, Mr. Crane. My family, everyone at Forrester Creations, they're far more concerned with fighting each other and Brooke to give you a second thought. Everyone is so worried about my cousin RJ, your head designer, that the news of your unfortunate accident went completely unnoticed."

"I wouldn't say completely, Ms. Forrester." Julian smiled as he remembered Pam's visit. "And just how is my dear RJ? I saw the headlines, but haven't been able to get in contact with the poor boy. Shameful business, how the press just outed him like that."

"No snappy putdown? No clever way of telling me to shut up?" Ivy pulled her finger out of the applesauce and sucked it clean. Her eyes were locked onto Julian's face.

He blinked, but Julian's smile never faded. "And just why would I do that, Ms. Forrester? I've never met you before."

"Ivy, please," she insisted as she resumed stirring the applesauce. "And don't worry about that. If everything between us works out the way I want, then it will all be in the past."

"Why are you here, Ivy? You still haven't told me that."

Then Ivy smiled, and it was so dangerous that for a moment Julian was afraid of her. He liked it. "I have a business proposition for you, Julian Crane. I think it's one that you'll appreciate far more than anything else."

"Logan &amp; Crane doesn't have a jewelry division, Ivy. I'm going to have to decline."

Then Ivy laughed. It was cold and hateful and sent a tingle of excitement down Julian's spine.

"You misunderstand me, Julian. I'm not asking to design jewelry with you. Unlike Brooke and RJ and everyone else, I researched you. Everything on the internet shows you to be a glowing member of society. But I'm not some dumb American: I know how to look below the surface. I know about the murders and the rapes and everything else."

Ivy was smug as she leaned back into her chair and waited for Julian to respond.

"You're trying to blackmail me? If you truly know as much as you claim, then you know how unwise a decision that is."

Then Ivy shook her head and chuckled again. "Not at all, Julian. Not at all. See, all those things in your past? I. Don't. Care. Brooke and Maya can talk all they want about empowering the disenfranchised through fashion, but I know how to see through the bullshit. You have another agenda. It just so happens to align with my current inclinations."

"And just what are those inclinations, Ivy Forrester? What exactly is it you want?"

"The complete and utter destruction of Forrester Creations and everyone working there. That is what I want, Julian. I want to see that company a smoldering wreck of its former self."

"I think I can work with that, Ivy," Julian laughed. "And tell me, finally, just what is your proposal? What is it you can do to accomplish this?"

Ivy put another finger's worth of applesauce into her mouth and smiled: her eyes crackled with a deadly energy.

B&amp;B

When she woke, Brooke was outside next to her pool. There was an empty bottle of tequila floating in said pool and her arm was dangling in the water. She withdrew it and splashed water in her face as she tried to remember everything that had happened.

Brooke attributed her faulty memory to her age and decided the best solution was another drink. As she drug herself back into her mansion, she debated whether she want wine or hard liquor. Wine was more of a breakfast drink, and she was hungry, so she settled on that.

Wincing the entire time, Brooke fried up some eggs and bacon. They weren't edible, so she set them aside in case Deacon visited and grabbed a package of Pop-Tarts from the cabinet. Brooke wasn't a fan of them: they were only in the house because Bill had been addicted to them. She missed Bill.

As she waited on the toaster, Brooke checked her phone. It wasn't morning. It was well past noon and she had dozens of calls on her phone from numbers she didn't recognize. The office had stopped calling sometime around 10 am. She sat it face down on the counter and waited on her processed pastry. L&amp;C would be fine for a few more hours. Julian could handle everything until she was in a state where she could show herself to the public.

B&amp;B

"I am kicking your ass. And then I am kicking your mom's ass. After that, I'm going back to kick your ass some more," Amber told RJ the moment he walked into their shared office.

"Um... Did I miss something?"

"Your mom never showed up for work and Julian is in the hospital. Some obese drunk ran him down. So Maya and I have been trying to handle everything here because you also decided, on this glorious day, to come into work six hours late. So yeah, you missed a lot."

"Sorry? And there are paparazzi camped outside. Is it because of me? I took the back way in."

Amber snorted as she started faxing something. "They sure as hell aren't here because I spent last night watching my Golden Girls DVDs."

"Ooh! Which season? If you're marathoning, I wanna come over for the murder mystery episode."

"RJ. FOCUS!" Amber yelled. "I've got things here for the minute, but you need to go see Maya. She's been juggling public relations all day because we can't get that PR firm Julian hired to return our calls. And your thing with Noah at the airport has our phone lines clogged with people asking for comments. None of our clients can get through."

"So we'll have a press conference about it. Get on Twitter and Facebook and announce that. L&amp;C is going to address this head on."

"Who are you? RJ, who is she? Lady, seriously, I have no idea who you are to be giving me orders, but you need to stop because this is not the day to be playing with me."

"Amber, this is Ivy. She's my cousin from Australia, and she's an employee at Forrester. Which begs the question of just why security let you into the building. This is Logan &amp; Crane, Ivy. You're neither."

"Ah, but that is where you are wrong, my tiny little poofter of a cousin. I quit Forrester this morning. And that PR firm isn't answering your calls because Julian fired them all. L&amp;C is doing its PR in-house from now on, and you are talking to the new head of the PR department."

RJ and Amber stared at each other, then turned at the same time to stare at Ivy. It was RJ who spoke. "Why would you be the head of public relations for this company? Your background is in designing jewelry."

Then Ivy held up her left hand and showed off the gaudiest ring RJ ever saw. "Let's just say that there are perks to being the future Mrs. Julian Crane."


	11. Chapter 11

"I have no idea what I'm doing. That's why I'm interviewing you. For too long, Forrester Creations has stood for excess and wealth and privilege. And as the markets change, so too must the attitudes at this company change.

"But most of the people working here don't get that. There's just too much of the old guard hanging around, including myself, so we need fresh blood. And I don't want you to feel like you're just a token. I didn't even know that was a thing until my... Until Forrester's former lead model Maya Avant pointed out to me that she was one."

The woman played with the bracelet on her wrist as she looked Rick over. "Mr. Forrester, I appreciate your honesty. But having a black designer won't change anything for your company. You'll just look like you're copying L&amp;C and its push to diversify the fashion industry. I've been doing this long enough to know how cynical everyone is."

"I don't care if people think I'm playing follow the leader. It's just good business. Look at TV and music: black people dominate those fields on the stage and screen, but behind the scenes it's all the same bunch of white guys. Even L&amp;C is doing that. For all their talk, the CEO and President and the designers are still white. But if you join Forrester Creations, you will get to change that. You get to be the black woman running things. It will be your show. I won't be just your boss: I'll be whatever support system you need to make this work."

She shifted in her seat and looked Rick in the eyes. "Why are you doing this? I know it isn't just to compete with an up-and-coming fashion house that hasn't even release its first collection. L&amp;C could fall flat on its face and Forrester could do nothing and remain one of the premier clothing outlets."

Rick blinked. She was right. Nothing he said had been a lie, but he was still lying by omission.

"Maya Avant, the spokesmodel for L&amp;C? She used to work here. I already told you that, but I didn't tell you that she used to be my fiancée. She left Forrester because it's racially hostile and I didn't even realize it. I want to change that."

"I've definitely worked for designers who kept white hoods in the same closet as their furs and silk evening gowns: I'm a tough girl. Thank you for your honesty, Mr. Forrester. I hope you can get this Maya back. You seem genuine. You definitely love her, anyway. Anyone could tell that."

Then Rick smiled and stuck out his hand. "So this is you saying that you're going to work with me?"

The woman smiled and shook his hand. "This is going to get ugly, but I love a good fight."

"Welcome to Forrester Creations, Layla Williamson. We also love to fight. And, personally, I love to win."

B&amp;B

"I didn't even know that Ivy and Julian knew each other. Now they're engaged, Mom. Isn't that nuts?" RJ asked as he poured her a glass of water from the nearby pitcher. "And then you came down with the flu the same day all this happened? What kind of luck we have, eh?"

"Don't worry about me, Honey," Brooke moaned from the sofa. "I'll be fine tomorrow. How are you? We haven't been able to talk."

"I'm fine," RJ assured his mother. He handed her the water and sat on the edge of the coffee table. "You're the one who looks like death."

Brooke sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. RJ still thought she looked exhausted, but he was glad she wasn't worse off. He'd told her about what happened to Julian. Brooke's reaction to Julian being hit was really weird, but she had seemed to calm down after RJ explained that the police knew who the driver was.

"RJ, I just have a twenty-four hour bug. I'll be okay in the morning, and if I'm not I'll go see the doctor. You're the one with the real problem. That bitch Taylor... She did something to you."

"I know, Mom," RJ told her as he forced her to drink the water. "She came to my flat. All these people keep finding it and I don't know how because I worked my ass off to make sure nobody would know where I live. Anyway, Taylor stopped by to apologize and Noah's mother was there. She kinda beat the shit out Taylor."

"Good," Brooke said as she handed RJ the empty glass. She lay back on the sofa and covered her eyes with one of the accent pillows.

"Not good. She really fucked Taylor up. There are holes in my wall, Mom. Holes made by Taylor's face."

"Then I'll pay the woman's bail. It's the least I can do to thank her," Brooke sighed. She lifted the pillow up just enough that she could see into RJ's eyes. "You know I love you, right? The whole you being gay thing? It changes nothing. And about Noah..."

"You don't have to apologize, Mom. It's all in the past. You didn't know. He didn't know. Nobody knew anything so I'm letting it go."

"I wasn't going to apologize." Brooke lowered the pillow again so that she didn't have to handle the light. "I was going to say that, if you're happy with him, then I'm happy for you."

"Do you want me to call someone, Mom? Rick or someone else? Granddad? I just stopped by to see how you were but I have to go back to L&amp;C. We're having a press conference about everything at 7. Ivy set it up awfully fast."

"Ivy Forrester? The cunt that Julian is marrying? Your cousin?" Brooke groaned.

"Yeah. I'll explain it all to you again tomorrow when you're feeling better. A lot of stuff has gone down the last couple of days. But if you're feeling up to it, you can watch the press conference. We're livestreaming it on the website."

B&amp;B

"My legs are sore," Maya groaned as she lounged in the chair in the design room that RJ usually occupied. "We haven't even debuted the line yet. There hasn't even been an embargoed preview! I had no idea how much work Forrester's PR people went through until today."

"Tell me about it." Amber was on what was probably her sixth cup of coffee, and it didn't look like her day would be ending anytime soon. "I'm a designer, not a paper pusher. Did you know Julian hired a new PR person today? RJ told me that she doesn't have any experience! Yet, we have reporters lining up outside the building for RJ to release a statement about being outed."

Maya played with one of the charcoal pencils on RJ's drawing table. "I feel bad for the kid. He's getting scrutinized worse than me and I'm an ex-con."

"I robbed banks with a guy who wore a chipmunk head," Amber bragged. Then she realized that it really wasn't something to brag about. "Well, sorta. It was a thing."

"I've never done anything that interesting. Well, unless you count that time Caroline Spencer sent me to a porn shoot. I thought it was a legit acting gig."

"I had a sex tape leak and my twin sister who I've never heard from again took credit for it."

Maya bit her bottom lip, widened her eyes, and nodded. "Okay. I concede. Your life has been a lot weirder than mine."

"I used to think it was just a being around the Forresters thing, but there are crazy people everywhere."

"I hope you're including yourself in that," Maya joked.

"Oh, you're on the short list."

Then Ivy burst into the room and clapped her hands. "Okay, ladies! RJ just arrived. I'm going to prep him, and then in an hour minutes we're all three going to stand behind RJ as he tells the world that he's gay."

Ivy smiled at Amber and Maya, clapped again, and left the room.

"She's on the top of the shortlist," Amber told Maya when she was sure Ivy was out of earshot.

"Nah. Ivy isn't crazy. She's just a cunt. Let's hope she's better at PR than she is designing jewelry." Maya sat RJ's charcoal pencil down on his table. "Oh, and that ring Julian gave her is ugly as hell, but it's still better than the shit she designed for Forrester."

"I take it you aren't a fan?" Amber pointed at the door with her index finger while taking a sip of her coffee.

Maya looked off to the side, contemplating how best to phrase it. "Ivy and I have known each other for a while now, and I've hated her since the day her kangaroo ass landed in town."

"I've known her for two hours. I want to beat her to death with a boomerang."

B&amp;B

RJ nervously checked the mentions of the L&amp;C Twitter account, then closed the app because it had been a horrible idea. All those eggs were saying the worst things... A couple of them did mention things he wanted to try on Noah, though, so maybe it hadn't been as bad an idea as he thought.

He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. He really was over the red. Ivy wouldn't push back the stupid press conference a day so he could change it to something more suitable like teal. It was ridiculous. She was ridiculous.

Still holding his phone, RJ considered calling Noah for a morale boost. Then he stopped himself. Just because they'd had sex and there had been that really weird talk with Noah's mother... All RJ wanted to do was remove the complications and just accept Noah back into his life with no conditions. Noah had even asked if he could call RJ his boyfriend.

How was RJ supposed to answer questions about his relationship with Noah when he had none himself? Why did anyone care? What did it matter if he was gay or dating the grandson of a billionaire or any of a hundred other things that was nobody's business but his own?

Fear wasn't why RJ had stayed in the closet. He didn't give a damn about anyone's opinion on that. It was all the invasive questions that followed.

"Five minutes, RJ. Are you ready?" Ivy asked as she laid a hand on his shoulder. He wanted to punch her in the face. All L&amp;C had to do was release a statement asking people to respect his privacy. Instead, Ivy was tricking him out to the media like some redheaded three dollar whore named Natalie. And he hated himself for not having the balls to stand up and tell her no.

While Ivy may have somehow become engaged to Julian, Brooke was his mother. CEO trumped President. Their combined 51% meant that he didn't have to do this farce.

"RJ?" Ivy asked, snapping her fingers in his face. "Are you with me?"

"I'm here," he said, blinking and pushing Ivy's hand away. "Can we get this over with?"

She nodded and smiled again. RJ still wanted to punch her. Maybe he'd say something to Noah's mom.

"Just follow me, RJ. I'll introduce you, and then you just say what we rehearsed. And you don't have to answer any questions that you don't want to. You don't have to answer any at all, even. Feel free to just call me up to the microphone and I'll take over everything. Okay?"

"Yeah. Sure." RJ made a fist, but hid it behind his back. "Go on, then. Let's finish the job that fucking bitch Taylor started."

Ivy reached down and gently held RJ's hand, and it took everything he had to keep from trying to crush the bones in hers. He stared daggers into the back of her head as she led him out the front door and to the stage that had been hastily erected for this mockery. It was the same stage they'd put up when Brooke announced herself as CEO of L&amp;C. Why couldn't Taylor have outed him when his hair was still blue? It went better with the backdrop than the red.

Amber and Maya were already sitting in chairs on the stage; Amber gave him an encouraging wave and Maya smiled. It occurred to RJ that he still didn't know Maya all that well. He'd have to change that.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the press, my name is Ivy Forrester. I'm RJ's cousin and I'm the one who asked you all here. Logan &amp; Crane is holding this press conference so that you can stop speculating and hear the truth straight from the horse's mouth."

Then Ivy stepped back from the podium and put her hand on RJ's back. She guided him to the microphone and he mentally ran over everything Ivy had told him to say.

"My name is RJ Logan. I was born Ridge Forrester Jr. and I was also born gay." He looked over to Ivy and she gave him the thumbs up. Rolling his eyes, RJ looked back to the press. "I'm a faggot. A nancy boy. A queer. A poof. A poofter. A bummer. A sissy. I'm dating a very nice young man and I won't tell you his name unless I know he's comfortable with me sharing that information. Anyone who has a problem with that or with me can go to hell. Have a nice night."

Then RJ turned and left the stage. It would be funny to watch Ivy attempt damage control, but he didn't want to stick around. He was over everything. Amber joined him, slinging an arm around his waist.

"You are so sexy to me right now," she whispered in his ear.

"You aren't my type," he whispered back as they walked into the L&amp;C building.

"I have a strap-on in my desk that says otherwise."

RJ burst out laughing.


	12. Chapter 12

"I can't wait to see our new home!" Ivy gushed as she wheeled Julian out to the car. "It's been so weird, living in the Forrester mansion, Snugglebunny."

"I sent one of my men, Roberto, there yesterday. It should be spotless for our arrival. Even if you don't like it, I'm sure you'll find some way to make it feel like home, Appleblossom."

After Ivy and the driver helped Julian into the back of the car, she walked around and let herself into the driver's side backseat. As soon as she was certain no paparazzi could see them, she slouched into the seat.

"Ugh. I can't wait until we have this damn wedding already. They always lose interest after the wedding, unless there's a baby involved. And we're not having a baby."

"You would make a smashing mother, though," Julian surmised as he swiped his index finger across his phone. "You're just lucky I'm too old to want any more children. I don't even want the ones I have now."

Ivy reached into her purse and withdrew a bottle of water. "Even if you did, we'd hire a surrogate and a full-time nanny. I'm not ruining this body. Especially not for a marriage of convenience."

"Is that all I am to you?" Julian asked as the driver opened his door and climbed into the car. Ivy reached over and raised the soundproof window.

"Convenient? No. Fulfillment? Of a sort. You see, Julian, you Americans love your idle threats and I'm Australian. My people don't have time for that bullshit. So I'm going to help you speed up your time table. I am a Forrester by name, but it seems that only matters if you're one of Uncle Eric's twenty kids or one of their kids. Hell, Hope Logan was neither and she got more respect from those people than I ever did! I want them to burn, Julian. I want them to beg for mercy and then I want them to beg for death."

"How garish." Julian grinned at his fiancée.

"And I was the wuss back home." Ivy took a drink of her water before continuing. "An Australian first grader has been in more life-and-death situations than most American soldiers."

"How did I ever get lucky enough to get you on my side?"

"Blame Pam and that stupid portrait of her sister. The things they said to me as she bung it were the final straw."

"Stephanie? Pam had a portrait of Stephanie? Where? When?" Julian began to panic and it made Ivy uneasy.

"The other day, before I went to your hospital room. Pam hung it above her desk at work."

"Hold that thought, Darling," Julian said as he began dialing his phone. She sat in silence and watched as the colour drained from his face. Something big had to be going on for him to be so worried.

"Julian?" she asked after hung up his phone. "What is it? What happened?"

"Roberto didn't answer his phone. He always answers his phone." Julian reached into another pocket and produced a flask, from which he took a healthy drink. "I called once while he was in the delivery room with his now ex-wife and he answered. She did something to him. She had to have done something to him."

"Pam?" Ivy took another drink of water and watched Julian's reaction. She smiled as his panic grew even more pronounced. "I told you, Julian: I know everything. And I also know how to hit Pam where it will hurt the hardest. We'll go home, see just what happened to this Roberto, and if it's as serious as you think it is then I'll deal with it. You need your rest."

As she reclined into her seat, Ivy looked over at Julian. He was afraid of Pam, but it was quite obvious that he was also afraid of Ivy and what she might know. That was good. Fear meant she had power, and she wanted to wield it all.

B&amp;B

"We're holding the livestream tomorrow to debut the collection," Brooke told her team. "We worked out a deal with Spencer Publications that they get to host it. Apparently, our servers kept crashing during our last livestream."

RJ coughed and looked up at the ceiling. At least he wouldn't have dreadful red hair this time around.

"Maya, are the models ready to go? You're the one who has been working with them; they're as important to this launch as the clothes." RJ watched his mother pick at a staple in a stack of paperwork on her desk.

"We're getting final alterations done on the wardrobe itself, but my guys and gals are doing great. And Viz appreciates that we're letting them wear heels with their dress. They didn't take well to the flats only rule RJ pushed for."

Brooke looked at Maya, confused. "They?"

"Gender neutral pronoun, Mom," RJ explained. "Viz is that non-binary Paki model, remember? We talked about this."

Even though she still looked confused, Brooke nodded. "Yeah. Non-binary. Pakistan. Right. Okay, then. RJ, you're the bigger presence in this line. Are you sure you want Amber to do the intro? It sets the whole tone for the collection, and the kids on the Twitter loved you telling everyone to piss off."

"And the old bitches on Facebook were maaaaad," Amber laughed, ignoring Brooke's disapproving glare.

"They are old," RJ said in Amber's defense. "And our target demographic is 18-to-34."

"And they are bitches," Maya agreed. "But the folks who are angry were never gonna buy our stuff anyway. And pre-orders in Japan doubled."

"Maya, you do realize that pre-orders for L&amp;C aren't like at Forrester, right? They're non-binding until we begin production, which is a week from tomorrow. Everyone could see the designs, hate them, and then cancel without paying a penalty."

"What's the point of pre-ordering, then?" RJ asked. This was why he hated dealing with the business side of things: he didn't understand how it worked.

Brooke sighed. "We're a new company. We don't have the clout or reputation of a Forrester. Pre-orders right now are mostly a placeholder. We don't get the funds from buyers until after the merchandise has been shipped. So everything, including your salaries, is being paid for out of Julian's pocket. So if this collection fails, this company goes under and Julian goes broke."

RJ had no clue what anything Brooke had just said was supposed to mean. "What about you, Mom? You own 51% of L&amp;C."

"46%," she reminded RJ. "And I bought it dirt cheap. A dollar a share. Julian really wanted me as CEO. I'll be fine."

"Okay then," Amber said as she rubbed RJ's head. "It looks like everything is a go for tomorrow. The only question is... Do we invite the Forresters to our launch?"

"I think we should," Maya answered, smacking her fist into her palm. "We can let them see just what they're missing."

RJ leaned around Amber to give Maya a high five. "I'm with her! I'll even bring Noah's mom since he's not coming."

"Noah's not coming?" Amber's voice was slightly hostile. "Do you need me to have a talk with him?"

"Nah," RJ said as he flicked his wrist. "He's setting up a surprise for me after the show."

Then Brooke interrupted. "I only have one question: where the hell is Ivy? Julian hired her to head our PR department. Shouldn't she be here?"

B&amp;B

"The door was connected to a tripwire. It's obvious this poor guy wasn't the target," Ivy said as she looked at the rigged shotgun. Its barrels were pointed right where Roberto's body was laying. "Anyone who opened the door would have taken the shot to the chest."

"But it was intended for me." Julian slowly stepped over the body of his late henchman, though it was hard to do with his crutches. Ivy never offered to help. "It very well could have been me. My floor requires a keycard to get off the elevator. I don't even allow housekeeping when I'm not here. Don't need anyone snooping."

"You knew something like this happened back in the car. How, Julian? How did you know?"

"I knew because I had that portrait of Stephanie here!" Julian hissed as he pulled out his phone. "The one you told me about. I had it stolen and brought here ages ago. There's no way for Pamela to have gotten it unless she were here. And she's not stupid, Ivy. Pamela made sure there would be no way to trace her arrival. If we checked the CCTV, it's probably been altered or the camera covered. She might have worn a wig so nobody would recognize her. Regardless, Pamela is the one who did this."

"Are you calling the police?" Ivy began to make a pot of coffee. She liked that Julian had a hand-cranked coffee grinder: it seemed to taste better if she worked for it.

"Balderdash. The last thing we need is the police. I keep a cleanup crew on standby. What I want to know is how she got off the elevator. Only three people have access to this floor. Myself, Roberto, and the manager of the... No."

Julian prematurely ended his phone call and began typing furiously on his phone. Ivy began to grind the coffee, imagining the crunching sound to be Donna screaming in pain.

"THE BITCH!" Julian screamed before throwing his phone at the wall.

"What is it?" Ivy asked, not liking the way Julian was reacting.

"I'm sure you already knew this, but Eric Forrester was not a rich man. His wife Stephanie was a very rich woman. She was old money, like me. She financed the creation of that fashion house. Pam was just as rich as Stephanie. And Pam bought this building two days after she learned I had moved to Los Angeles."

"Are you saying she's been planning this for a while? Julian, what exactly happened between you two?"

"Are you saying you don't know? But I thought you knew everything, Ivy. That's what you told me."

She cursed under her breath and stopped grinding the coffee. She had slipped up. "I know you and Pam were involved, Julian. I know it ended messily, but what I don't know is how or why. There is a black mark over that entire part of your life. Yours, Pam's, and Stephanie's. But whatever it was, whatever happened, it had to be huge."

"You have no idea, My Dear. And it's going to stay that way."

"So you say." Ivy walked away from the coffee grinder and stood just outside the dried pool of Roberto's blood. She looked to her fiancé and laughed. "Now you clean this mess up and finish making the coffee while I run to the pet store."

"The pet store? Ivy, what are you doing?"

"I'm taking care of things on my end," she answered before stepping over the corpse and walking to the elevator. "And we are moving out of this building. This time, you're buying a place: renting is for poor people."

B&amp;B

"So you're Brooke Logan."

"And you're Sharon Collins."

"I've heard so much about you. Most of it involves my son."

Noah looked at RJ. "'We don't need a public place, let's introduce them at my loft,' he said. 'We'll have dinner and they'll behave,' he said."

"Either help me keep this peaceful or kill yourself," RJ whispered to Noah.

"So I slept with your son. We're both adults and he came onto me. If I had known he was going to end up dating RJ, I wouldn't have done it, but it's not like my vagina has an 'undo' button," Brooke said vulgarly.

"Mom! Want some more wine? Here, wine. It looks so delicious. I wish I were old enough to drink it." RJ ripped the glass out of Noah's hand and waved it in front of his mother's face.

"Honey, put that down. You and Noah wanted us to meet before the big day tomorrow. This was your idea."

"It was my idea, actually," Noah said before taking his wine back from RJ and downing it. He then refilled his glass. "Mom, you promised me that you would behave. Brooke and I... That's never happening again, right?"

"OH MY GOD!" RJ yelled before slamming his face into the table.

"RJ! Are you okay?" Brooke jumped out of her seat and began fussing over her son.

"I'm apparently the only one here that is fine," RJ groaned as he pushed Brooke's hands away. Then he looked at Sharon. "Do you want to sleep with me, Ms. Collins? Would that even everything up? Or do we all want to act like civilized adults and enjoy this fucking meal that I had delivered?"

"You just asked my mom to sleep with you."

RJ threw his hands in the air. "It was sarcasm, Noah. Now can we all move on from fucking mothers?"

"I'm sorry," Brooke said to Sharon. "I didn't raise my son to be so rude."

"That's what you're apologizing for?" RJ yelled before slamming his face into the table again.

"Noah still throws tantrums like that sometimes, too. You should have seen how he acted when I was in prison," Sharon said as she used her fork to load the rice into her spoon. "I was found not guilty, by the way."

"Mom, your criminal history is not a proper dinnertime conversation." Noah sighed and took another drink of his wine. RJ really wanted some wine.

"See what I mean? I was innocent and he still acts like this."

"You think these two are bad?" Brooke laughed as she stabbed her chicken with her fork. "You haven't met Steffy or Thomas."

"Who are Steffy and Thomas? I thought Hope, Bridget, Rick, and Jack were RJ's siblings," Sharon asked before sticking the rice in her mouth.

"These are RJ's siblings on his dad's side. He had them with his ex-wife Taylor. I heard you two met."

Sharon tapped her wine glass to her chin as she chewed. She swallowed her food, took a sip, and then seemed to remember. "RJ, was Taylor that woman from the other day?"

"Yes," he answered with his face still pressed against the table.

"Yeah, I didn't like her."

Brooke laughed and picked up her own wine glass. "I heard you beat her ass. Good work!"

"Thank you!" Sharon accepted the praise by clinking her glass against Brooke's.

Noah put his hand on RJ's back and whispered into his ear. "This is never going to stop being weird."

B&amp;B

"This package just came for you, Ms. Douglas," one of the mail room guys said as he sat a white box on Pam and Donna's desk. It was wrapped with a bright red bow. "It came with this card."

"Thanks, Jerry. I thought you guys left at 5?"

"The wife just had a baby so I need the overtime," he answered with a smile.

"Congratulations!" Pam gushed! "Little boy or girl?"

"His name is Andrew. Thanks, Ms. Douglas. Gotta get back to the dungeon. Have a good night!"

"He's so sweet," Pam told Donna, who was reading her card.

"I'm so sorry to hear about your Charlie, I hope this will cheer you up," Donna read aloud. "There's no signature."

"It's probably from Jerry. The folks in the mailroom love my lemon bars," Pam said as she undid the ribbon. People could really be so kind. After she used her scissors to cut the tape sealing the box shut, Pam lifted the flaps and look inside. Then she screamed and threw the box across the hall. It hit the wall and the severed head of a Doberman bounced out and rolled across the floor.

"I DON'T THINK THAT'S FROM JERRY!" Donna cried before she and Pam held each other and devolved into incoherent screaming.


	13. Chapter 13

Liam nearly fell over when the young man jumped on his back. "Hello, RJ. Shouldn't you be busy with prep work?"

"Nah, Amber's handling everything. She actually threw me out of the dressing rooms because I was getting in her way," RJ squeezed Liam, then released him and dropped to the floor. "And just how is my favourite ex-brother-in-law eight times over?"

"I don't think it's been that many." Liam looked into the crowd and saw Ivy sitting beside that Julian Crane guy. She was draped all over his arm and he could see the ring on her left hand clear as day. "I'm not gonna be your cousin by marriage any time soon, though."

"Ugh. Fuck Ivy. Anyway, sorry I never made it to, well, any of your weddings. I would've gone to the one in Italy, but exams and all."

"It's fine, RJ," Liam laughed as the kid smiled. "You can come to the next one."

"Of course I'll be at your next wedding." RJ grabbed the hem of his coat and curtsied. "After all, I am going to be the bride."

Then Liam laughed as RJ's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Is that so? Don't you think we might have some obstacles in our way?"

"Listen, Hope and Steffy will be fine. Noah won't mind being my mistress, and that pesky heterosexuality of yours ain't no big deal. I'm sure we can find a way around it."

"I'm sure you will." Liam winked at RJ, then pulled him a headlock and raked his fingers through RJ's hair. "Let me know what the arrangements are, will ya?"

"Well, I don't want to marry you now," RJ pouted after Liam released him. He looked into the nearest reflective surface and tried to smooth his hair down.

"My heart is breaking. Especially since that pink hair you have going on makes you sooooo hot."

"It's fuchsia, you savage," RJ corrected with a sigh. "Well, I hope you're happy. You just lost any chance you had with your soulmate."

"My heart is breaking," Liam teased. "But in all seriousness, congrats on all of this. I can't wait to see what you cooked up."

RJ turned back to the lacquered wood panel and attempted to fix his hair again. "I know you don't like Amber, but she put just as much work into this as I did. Probably even more. But thanks."

"You're welcome," Liam told RJ.

Then their conversation was interrupted by Caroline. "Hey Cuz. Thanks for inviting us, RJ. You dad is really proud of you for making this happen."

"Then why isn't he the one telling me that?" RJ asked before storming off.

Liam watched as RJ threw open the door to go backstage.

"He's just nervous. You know how divas get."

Caroline smiled sadly. "Yeah, I'm sure that's it.

B&amp;B

Amber was nervous as she climbed onto the stage. She hadn't hosted a show in years, especially not one as high profile as this. Her time at Forrester had the fashion world watching, but now the whole world was watching. Amber saw that, sitting next to a black woman that wasn't Maya, her ex-husband and RJ's brother Rick was watching.

Maybe inviting the Forresters wasn't the best idea. All she could do was feel the eyes of every person on her. They were judging her. She smiled anyway.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Amber Moore. I'm the co-designer of "As You Are", the debut fashion line from Logan &amp; Crane. For the bloggers and Twitter addicts out there, don't forget your hashtag."

It kind of shocked Amber how much she had liked Ivy's proposed last minute name change for the line. It was short and got to the point.

"We at Logan &amp; Crane like to believe that we have something important to say with this collection. We hope that tonight you understand just what that message is."

Then she signaled the DJ to start and climbed off the stage.

B&amp;B

RJ held Amber's hand on one side and Maya's on the other as the models posed behind them. All three bowed while the audience clapped. He was so relieved that everything had gone perfectly.

After they dispersed and buyers were rushing to talk to the sales reps, RJ slinked away to a corner fully intending to mull over how happy he was. They truly did love his designs.

"You're trending. Not worldwide, but in the US. Give it time," Sharon said as she pulled RJ into a hug. "Now why are you hiding over here? You're the star of the show! Go. Mingle."

"I'm not the mingle type," RJ sniffed as he held back his tears and smiled. "I prefer to be talked about, not spoken with. Amber and Maya and my mom can handle the interviews. Besides, it might get me a reputation for being reclusive. Everyone loves a reclusive artist."

"Hey, RJ! Great show. Your stuff looks fantastic. I would never wear it, but I'm probably too square to pull it off, anyway," Caroline said as she squeezed past Sharon and hugged him.

"Thanks?" RJ said as he patted Caroline on the back.

"Good job, Son," Ridge congratulated as he stood behind Sharon. "I'm proud of you."

"You are?" Caroline released RJ and he stepped as far back into the corner as he could go. "Well, thanks."

He didn't feel the smile he forced onto his face. Nobody else did, either. Thankfully, Sharon stepped in to lessen the tension. "Hi! Ridge Forrester? My name is Sharon Collins. I'm Noah Newman's mom."

The uncomfortable way Ridge and Caroline looked at each other was just distraction enough for RJ to slip away and get lost in the crowd. A Los Angeles fashion show was one of the few places RJ wouldn't stick out.

He slipped into the dressing room where the models were changing into their civilian clothes. Of course, L&amp;C was letting them keep what they had modeled, but since they had just been on a livestream watched around the world, it for the best that they not go out in public looking like they'd just come off the runway.

RJ passed through the models, thanking them all until he reached the showers. He turned on the water, alternating hot and cold until he reached a temperature he could stand, and then stood under it. It didn't matter that he was getting his clothes wet or that his eyeliner would smear.

As the water beat down on him, RJ sat on the floor and began sobbing. Was it going to be like this every time he launched a collection? Was he always going to be so drained?

"There you are," Maya said as she joined RJ under the spray of the shower. "Viz came and got me. I did the same thing about my first show. Well, not exactly. I got into a kickboxing match with a vending machine over a bag of Skittles."

"What?" RJ asked, his voice cracking.

"RJ, all of these models are going to go home and an entire pizza, or pass out, or crawl into a shower and cry. It's their first fashion show just like it's yours. And your first can drive you mad whether it's a success or not. But it gets easier. So go ahead. Keep freaking and let it all out. If we keep working hard and make this company the success it deserves to be, then you'll have more shows and each time you'll lose it just a little bit less until you become Amber or your mother and you're able to handle everything that follows."

Maya pulled RJ into a side hug and rocked him while humming a lullaby. He clung to her like she was a life raft.

B&amp;B

"Why are you soaked?" Rick asked the moment he saw Maya.

She walked past him without answering. They had only rented the showroom until midnight. It wasn't like they were Forrester and had one built into the building. It seemed Julian would only sink so much of his own money into the company.

"Maya, what happened?" Rick asked as he followed her into the parking lot where her car was waiting. And, in a world where she wasn't engaged to Rick Forrester, that meant parked until she dug her keys out of her purse.

"RJ was having a breakdown in the showers," she explained, knowing Rick wouldn't judge his little brother. If there was something Brooke's children did, it was stand up for each other. "I helped him through it."

"Oh, right. It's his first show. Hope would freak out, too, when she first started. I guess all the models and creatives do."

"But you're on the business side of things," Maya reminded Rick as she walked up to her car. She prayed it was dark enough that he wouldn't notice the rust.

"I remember your first show. You were almost arrested for vandalizing a Coke machine." Rick chuckled and Maya dropped her keys.

She turned on Rick and thrust a finger in his face. She wanted to sound righteous, but all she could manage was heartbroken as she yelled at him. "You don't get to walk down memory lane with me, Rick Forrester. Not when you show up to my fashion show with some other woman. You think you can just replace me with some other black woman, like we're somehow interchangeable, but still keep me on a leash?"

"That's not what I... Layla is a new designer for Forrester. Tonight was just me introducing her to everybody. There's a feature debuting tomorrow on the Eye on Fashion website. She's a co-worker and we were networking. She can't replace you, Maya. She was never intended to do that."

"I don't believe you." Maya crouched and held her phone up so she could use its light to help her find her keys. She also didn't want Rick to see her crying. She was sure he heard it, but if she didn't look at him she could at least lie to herself.

Rick knelt down with Maya and picked up her keys. As he handed them to her, he grabbed her hand. "Do you believe that I still love you? Because I do."

Maya couldn't say anything. She shook because the wind was cold against her wet skin, or so she told herself.

"I'm sorry for everything I said. I'm sorry I threw you out of the mansion. Maya, I'm sorry I put business ahead of your happiness. If you don't want me back, I wouldn't blame you."

"You were horrible," Maya said in a breath just above a whisper. "You were awful and I... Yes, Rick. I still want you."

She fell against him and he landed on his back, the back of his head hitting her tire. Maya held onto Rick, as if afraid he would run if she let go.

B&amp;B

"You're wet," Noah observed as RJ walked into the loft. "More than that, you're soaking. Did it rain and I missed it? And aren't there after parties and things? I wasn't expecting you until much later. It's not even ten!"

"Your guitar." RJ locked his eyes onto it, ignoring everything Noah had said. "I didn't... I thought you had stopped playing."

Noah turned off the stove, walked away from it, and picked the guitar up off the couch. "Yeah, I did. I bought this one today. I was going to play something for you when you got back."

RJ sniffed and wiped his eyes with his already damp sleeve. "This was your surprise? This is why you didn't come to my show?"

"Nope. She ran and hid when we heard your keys in the lock."

"She?"

The bathroom door opened and Hope stepped into view. "He missed it because he was picking me up. I would've come to the show, but my flight was delayed three times. I didn't want to use the company jet because Noah wanted to surprise you."

He ran and hugged his sister, crying but not sobbing. RJ was elated. Hope hugged him back and lifted him off the floor just like she did when they were kids. It was only an inch or two, because they weren't kids anymore and he was heavier than she, but it meant everything to him.

"Thank you," RJ told Noah before pouncing on him, knocking back onto the sofa, and kissing him in appreciation. "How do you two even know each other?"

"We don't," Hope told him. "I didn't meet Noah until he picked me up at the airport about two hours ago."

"I called her using your phone the other night while you were asleep. Time zones and all that," Noah explained as he sat the guitar on the floor. "It's not like I have a job to get up for."

"So, are you back to stay? Or is this just a visit?" RJ arranged himself so that he was sitting on Noah's lap, one arm around his neck and both hands linked on his chest.

Hope gave a sad little smile that told RJ everything. "I'm going back tomorrow. I just wanted to see you in person and congratulate you on all of your success. I watched the livestream on the plane's Wi-Fi. You guys killed it."

"And speaking of killing things, I need you to get off of me before I burn the dinner I was making for your sister," Noah said as he shoved RJ off of him and onto the sofa.

"Don't eat it, Hope. His ass can't cook," RJ warned her with a laugh.


	14. Chapter 14

"Right. Okay. We're looking forward to it," Ridge said before he ended the call.

Caroline looked up from her magazine. "Are they coming?"

He smiled and nodded. "That was Noah. He seems like a... I think he'll be good for RJ. And he really seemed excited about getting to meet us. He mentioned that he hasn't met any of the Forrester half of RJ's family. Just Brooke and Hope."

"Everyone knows he met Brooke." Caroline whistled and absentmindedly turned a page. "But when did he meet Hope?"

"Last week, I guess. While we were at the L&amp;C show. Noah didn't tell me much more than that."

"Did you talk to RJ at all? It was his phone you called," Caroline wondered as she stopped to look at an ad in the magazine. It was an old Forrester Creations ad campaign, from when Maya was still a model. She ripped the page out and crumpled it up. "We haven't seen him since he ditched us after the show."

"He didn't ditch us, Caroline," Ridge said. She knew that he was lying to himself as much as he was to her. "RJ was just wound up and needed to blow off some steam. I still do it sometimes and I'm an old pro. You do it, too."

Caroline threw the page into the corner of the room where the empty pizza box and barren bag of donuts resided. The staff would clean it up the following day while she and Ridge were at work, so neither one saw the point of a trash can in the bedroom.

"I suppose you're right." Caroline closed the magazine and watched as Ridge ate his nachos. "But still, why did Noah answer RJ's phone?"

"He said RJ was in the shower."

So RJ hadn't even accepted; Noah did it on his behalf. Hiding her thoughts with a smile, Caroline just sat in silence, the crunching of the tortilla chips the soundtrack of her disappointment.

She never told Ridge about how his son had ran off before the show when she greeted him. It was obvious that she was the reason he was staying away.

Maybe this invitation... If RJ went along with Noah, then maybe he would actually get to know her. Maybe he would realize that she wasn't some monster who was out to ruin his life. After all, it hadn't been that long ago that she had been his age. She knew what it was like to be a couple years out of school and overwhelmed by just how much the world can change in so short a time

"I've never thrown a dinner party before," Caroline mused, wishing to distract herself. "What do they like? French food, maybe? They did meet in Paris. Or that's what Noah's mom told us. Should we call him back and invite her, too? I don't think I can cook French food, though. I can't even cook American."

"Caroline, Honey, calm down." Ridge sucked the cheese off his fingers, then reached over and held her hand. "It's not really a dinner party. It's just us having the boys over. And don't worry about cooking. You forget that we're rich; we can just get it catered!"

She leaned over and kissed Ridge. He was right: everything would be fine. But as much as she loved him and wanted to believe him, Caroline was scared to death that she would say or do something to make Ridge's relationship with his son even more strained than it already was.

B&amp;B

"Ivy? What are you doing here?" Aly rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "I thought you moved out."

"I'm just getting the last of my things from my room. The movers didn't pack up some of my mementos from Amsterdam, for example." Ivy barged past Aly and up the stairs. "I won't be too long. My fiancé is waiting for me at our new home. I would invite you, but you can go to hell for all I care."

Aly followed Ivy up the stairs. "Did you just tell me to go to hell?"

"No, you ignorant twit: I said you could go. It's fully your choice." Ivy ran her hand along the wall as she walked to her old room.

"What happened to you? You used to be so nice. I thought you were happy with Liam."

"You really shouldn't be allowed out of the house without a helmet," Ivy mused as she stood outside the door that used to be hers. She looked over her shoulder. Aly was on the verge of tears. Ivy laughed and threw open the door. Then she screamed.

Pam smiled up at her from the bed. "Oh, don't mind me. I always clean my gun this time of day. Everyday."

"I forgot to tell you: Pam moved into the mansion last week. Some sick, twisted freak sent her a dead dog's head in the mail. We didn't... Nobody felt it was safe for her to live on her own."

"That's not a gun." Ivy noted what Aly said, but chose not to react to it. She didn't need anyone to pick up any unintentional clues. "That's a sniper rifle. Are you allowed to own a sniper rifle?"

Smiling as she wiped down the barrel, Pam nodded. "I got special clearance from the Governor himself. He and Stephanie used to be hunting buddies."

"Pam is staying in my old room?" Ivy turned and looked at Aly. "It would've been nice to know before I came up. Pam, the movers missed some stuff."

"Oh, that junk? It's in a box in the garage. I don't remember which one." Pam huffed on the scope of her gun, then wiped it clean. "Ivy, can I ask you a question?"

"Only if you put the firearm down," she replied, crossing her arms.

Pam looked down at the gun for a few seconds, then carefully laid it on the bed. "It wasn't loaded. I'm not a sillyhead."

"I'm sure aren't," Ivy said with narrow eyes. "What do you want to know, Pam?"

The older woman bit off her thumbnail and spat it on the floor. "Why Julian? I thought you and Liam were happy together. I thought you liked working with me and Aly and everyone else at Forrester."

"Julian makes me happy," Ivy shrugged. It wasn't exactly a lie. "After he was hit by that car and I quit Forrester, I paid him a visit at the hospital to ask about a job. It was love at first sight, for the both of us."

"Julian isn't capable of love," Pam claimed as her eyes and face grew hard as stone. "I'm starting to think that you aren't either."

"You're wrong, Pamela." Ivy chuckled at the way Pam reacted to hearing her legal name. "I am very much capable of love. However, I'm also equally capable of hate. It would be wise to know which column your name is on."

Then Ivy excused herself and left the room. After she got the last of her things from the garage, she would never have to set foot in the damned Forrester mansion again for the rest of her life.

B&amp;B

"I still hate you for this," RJ told Noah as the car pulled up in front of his father's building. He knew his dad moved out of the Forrester mansion and the guest house when Rick took over Forrester Creations, but he didn't expect him to live in a penthouse. That just didn't seem to be his style. "I should have called and canceled."

"No. They're reaching out and making an effort. You are going to do the same. Wasn't your dad one of the reasons you were staying in the closet?"

RJ knew Noah was right, and he had thought that his being gay was the reason there was such a wedge in his relationship with his dad. Now, he just wasn't sure.

"Let's get this over with," RJ sighed after the driver opened his door. He was silent the entire walk into the building and the ride up the elevator. A few times, Noah had tried to get him to say something, but RJ just tuned him out. He was so furious that he knew he would probably say something he would regret: he found it simpler to say nothing at all.

They stood outside the door that belonged to Ridge's suite, or so Noah had assured RJ. When his boyfriend didn't knock, Noah stepped up and did it for him. RJ winced each time Noah's knuckles rapped against the door. He wondered if he had enough time to run back to the elevator before Caroline or Ridge answered.

"Oh, hi!" Caroline greeted cheerfully after she opened the door. She hugged RJ, then Noah. RJ fought the urge to brush himself clean. "It's so good to see you guys. And RJ, you never have to knock when you visit. Just come right on in: we want you to feel like this is your home as much as it is ours."

"I'll knock. Wouldn't want to interrupt any spontaneous sexcapades," RJ scoffed as he pushed past Caroline and looked at the penthouse. He wasn't impressed.

"Thank you for having us over," Noah said to Caroline, clearly trying to cover for his boyfriend's rudeness. "We're delighted to be here. And it's good to see you again."

"You two know each other?" RJ spun on his heel and stared at them.

Noah nodded. "She came to Genoa City once. My aunt and her friend launched a clothing line. I didn't even remember until I saw her in person."

"That's right!" Caroline realized with a snap of her fingers. "Chelsea Newman. She was married to your uncle. Sorry about your loss. I heard he died."

"Don't worry about it. He was kind of an awful person."

"Of course he knows her," RJ whispered to himself. Then he looked around the penthouse. "Where is my dad?"

"He's picking up dinner. Actually, he should be back any minute now. We were hoping to have it here before you guys arrived."

"I'll wait over here." RJ pointed to the nearest chair, then flopped into it and pulled out his phone.

As Noah and Caroline made awkward small talk, RJ checked his personal emails. He didn't want to mess with work stuff right before what was bound to be the worst night of his week.

When his father arrived with three bags of food from that Italian place everyone seemed to frequent, RJ felt his already low spirits sink even lower. He didn't even look up from his phone when he returned the greeting.

"He's just in a bad mood. I'm sure everything will be cool once he gets something to eat," Noah explained with a nervous laugh. "Thanks for inviting us over, Mr. Forrester. I've been wanting to meet you for a while, but RJ has been kinda too busy with everything to introduce us."

"Yeah. That's it," RJ agreed from his chair. "So busy with the launch. You know how it goes."

Ridge coughed. "Yeah, I guess I do. Son, you wanna help me set the table? And Noah, you don't have to call me " Mr. Forrester', 'Ridge' will do just fine."

"I'll pass." RJ said from his chair. He pointed at his phone. "Busy. Work stuff."

There was a Nigerian prince who wanted to access his bank account. Surely that was more important than some plates and forks.

"I'll help you, Ridge," Noah offered, giving his boyfriend a dirty look.

"Just give me a minute to wrap this up. I'll be right over!" RJ called as the other two men walked away. He didn't trust this Nigerian prince. It was obviously a bad investment.

Caroline knelt down next to RJ and he hit the home button before she could see his screen.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she looked up at RJ's face. "You don't seem happy to be here."

"I don't know where you got that idea," he laughed as put his phone into the pocket of his jacket. "I'm just as happy to see you and my dad in your home as I am anywhere else."

Ignoring the stung look on Caroline's face, RJ stood and walked to the dinner table. He grabbed a chair and sat while Noah finished putting silverware next to the plates. Ridge had already laid the food out and was gathering glasses.

"RJ, are you fine with soda? The rest of us are having wine," the man asked his son.

All he got in reply was a shrug.

"Knock it off," Noah whispered when he sat next to RJ, having finished setting the table. "They're being really nice and you're being rude."

All RJ could do was silently regard Noah from the sides of his eyes. How the hell could he call RJ rude when neither one of the assholes bothered to even try contacting him after they were outed?

"Noah, would you like to say grace?" Caroline asked as she sat at one end of the table and Ridge at the other.

"He's never been religious. And I know for a fact my dad never waits to say grace," RJ snorted.

"That's enough!" Ridge gruffly chastised his son. "Caroline was just being polite. Noah?"

RJ just stared at his plate as his boyfriend chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry. RJ's right. I wouldn't know how to say grace if I wanted to. I kinda grew up in an agnostic home. My parents only went to church for funerals or weddings."

"That's okay. We don't have to pray before we eat," Caroline assured Noah. "And I wish we had thought to invite your mother. Ridge and I met her at RJ's show and she seemed like a lovely woman."

"Thanks, but she already went home to Genoa City a couple days ago. She was just in town for a few days to visit."

"That reminds me, have you heard from Taylor?" RJ asked his dad with a guffaw.

Noah shot RJ another dirty look. "This looks delicious. Can I have some of the pasta?"

Then Ridge stood up and RJ felt his heart stop. "Sure, but before we eat, there's one last thing I need to say. I didn't invite you two here just so we can all get to know each other."

RJ couldn't breathe, he couldn't even blink as he watched his father walk around the table and reach into his pocket. Ridge knelt next to Caroline and opened a small box. "Caroline, will you marry me?"

She squealed and smiled and then covered her mouth with her hands. "Ye-"

"DON'T DO IT!" RJ yelled, stopping everyone in their tracks. "Caroline, trust me when I say you do not want to marry this man."

"What are you doing?" Noah was angry, but RJ didn't care.

"He doesn't love you. He can't love you."

"RJ, stop this." Ridge stared at his son. Caroline couldn't even speak. "I thought you were more mature than this! Quit acting like a child. Of course I love Caroline. I wouldn't ask her to marry me if I didn't."

RJ looked from Caroline to his father.

"Like being married to you ever meant anything. I'm sure you loved Mom every time you married her, except when you left her for that fucking bitch Taylor. And how many times did you cheat on Taylor? I heard you weren't exactly the most dutiful husband to Caroline's dead aunt, either."

"STOP IT!" Ridge sat the ring on the table and stood, pointing a finger at his son. "This is my home, RJ. You are my guest and you will show me and Caroline respect."

"Like you respected all the women in your life?" RJ turned from Ridge back to Caroline. "Listen, honey, I don't know if you heard, but being engaged to this man isn't exactly a guarantee of a marriage. Just ask Ashley Abbott the next time you decide to visit Genoa City."

"Your dad and Ashley?" Noah asked.

"And he left her for my mom. He leaves everyone for my mom, and then he leaves her. He's a son of a bitch, and I mean that literally."

"Shut. Up!" Ridge slammed his fist onto the table and Caroline yelped. Then the man began to comfort her.

"At least you bought this bitch a ring. That's more than you ever did for Aunt Katie."

"What is wrong with you?" Ridge asked his son. "Why are you acting like this?"

"Because you can't keep your promises. You promised me that Aunt Katie would be the last one. Whenever I would come back to LA for a visit, you two would take me out to eat and it was the closest thing I ever had to a normal family. But you cheated on her just like you cheat on everyone. I'm sick of it.

"And then there's you." RJ turned back to Caroline. "You keep acting like we're this loving family and I have no idea who the hell you are beyond the WHORE who cheated on my brother with this fat sack of shit."

Caroline was bawling and as Ridge held her he glared at his son. "I think it's time for you to leave."

"Let's go, Noah." RJ calmly pushed his chair back from the table and stood up. Noah remained sitting and kept his gaze fixed on the food in the middle of the table.

"I agree with your dad. You are so far past out of line right now. I can't even look at you."

"Whatever. Stay here with these two. See if I give a damn. After all, it's not like I wanted to come to this shithole dinner anyway.

"And Dad, you want to know why I stopped being a Forrester and changed my name to Logan? Because I didn't want this be associated with this fucking joke of a family I had the misfortune of being born into."

RJ then thanked them for a lovely evening and stormed out of the penthouse. Caroline kept crying.


	15. Chapter 15

"Staying late again?" Ivy asked Julian as she got ready to leave the office. "Want me to stay with you?"

He shook head. "No, I'll be fine. Besides, you have the contractors waiting for you at the mansion. Weren't you having them redo the bathrooms today?"

"Kitchen, My Love. They're redoing the kitchen. They already did the bathrooms last week. Remember? We had Roberto's body sealed into the concrete beneath the new master bath."

"Ah, yes, I do remember that."

"Do you mind if I take the car home, Julian? I saw that there were mud streaks on the side and wanted to run it through the car wash."

He opened his desk and retrieved the keys for her. "That's fine. I was going to have someone do it while I was working, but it completely slipped my mind."

"Do you know how you're getting home? Are you taking a cab?" Ivy asked. "Or is the chauffeur picking you up?"

"It depends on how late I get out of here. Our distributor in Thailand just tripled their order but we're already running at max capacity so I need to find us a new factory."

"Fine. I'll see you whenever you get home. Goodnight, Julian."

"Farewell, my darling Ivy," he said as he blew her a kiss.

After she closed the door to his office and was sure nobody was watching, Ivy gagged. The act was bad enough when there were other people around, but she couldn't stand that he made her keep it up in the office, even when it was just the two of them. It made her flesh crawl. Still, all things considered, living with Julian was better than living with the Forresters. He left her to her own devices.

When Ivy saw the car in the parking garage, she reached into her purse and hit the automated button the unlock it. She saw the taillights flash, then everything exploded.

The force of the blast knocked Ivy off her feet and onto her back, which was a good thing as what had once been a car door flew through the airspace she had once occupied. She just laid there and breathed for a few seconds until her senses returned to her.

Aside from some scrapes and what would undoubtedly be bruises, Ivy was okay. The car was a flaming wreck and shrapnel was all over the ground, or imbedded in the few surrounding cars. Swearing, she sat up and held her head. She was bleeding.

"THAT BITCH!" Ivy screamed as soon as she was able to talk. Her vision was still spinning as she felt around for her purse.

Pam had tried to kill her. She knew Julian was the target, but Ivy didn't care. She didn't care about Julian's vendetta or his aspirations to destroy the Forrester legacy. All Ivy could think was that if she had been ten feet closer she would have died in the blast.

After she had been kind enough to send that Pam that warning to back off, this was how the bitch retaliated. It was unforgivable. Ivy reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. She had no intentions of calling the police. No, someone else had probably already done that. All Ivy was doing was putting an end to this feud once and for all.

B&amp;B

"RJ, Honey, as much as I love having you here, don't you miss your flat?" Brooke asked as she hung over the back of the sofa, a glass of scotch dangling in her hand.

"It's a loft," he corrected as he swiped his finger across his phone, his head resting on the arm of the sofa on which he lay. "And I'm not going home because Noah's there."

Brooke sighed and took a drink. She loved her son, but he was being so stubborn. When he showed up on her doorstep, fuming and silent, she let him in with no questions asked. But then he didn't leave. Sure, he would show up for work, but then he'd come back home with her and do nothing but hang around on the furniture. It was cramping her style.

"You should just make up with Noah. I know what you're missing out on," Brooke told RJ as she took a drink. She draped herself across a chair and laughed.

"That is so gross," RJ complained as he used his free hand to play with his hair. "I'd almost forgotten about you sleeping with him. Why would you bring that up?"

"We're all gonna laugh about that someday," Brooke chuckled before taking a third drink. "I mean, look at me: I'm laughing about it now!"

"Ugh." RJ started ignoring her and Brooke finished her glass. If she was going to be stuck with a sulking man child, she would need all the scotch she could get. Luckily, she was rich enough to afford all the scotch she could ever want.

B&amp;B

Pam was in the kitchen putting her latest batch of lemon bars into the fridge when she heard the noise. Ever since Rick and Maya got back together, there had been lots of strange noises at night. She didn't give it a second thought.

She was in the foyer and standing at the base of the stairs when she remembered that Rick had flown to the Forrester International offices for a few days and Maya hadn't officially moved back into the mansion. The only ones home were Aly and Pam.

As she turned back to look at the kitchen, a man in black garb punched Pam in the face. She cried out and fell onto the stairs. Then she looked up at the man as he loomed over her. She kicked up and he doubled over, grabbing his groin.

Pam scrambled up the stairs and screamed for Aly to call the police. The man grabbed Pam's ankles before she reached the top and dragged her back down to where he could reach her. He punched her again and her vision went black.

Something was wrapped around Pam's throat and she found it difficult to breathe. Soon, she found it impossible and began thrashing about madly trying to shake the man off. It didn't work.

Her saving grace arrived in the form of maniacal laughter. There was a wet crunching sound and the binds on Pam's throat loosened. As she lay on the stairs, her lungs greedily sucking in as much air as possible, the crunching noises began to turn into slicing. The laughter grew more unhinged with each impact.

Then it stopped and the wild laughter became maddened mumbling.

Pam's vision slowly began to return and, against her better judgment, she crawled to the source of the disturbance.

"That's right, K'leyth. Yessssssss, Mama issssssss very proud of you. Thissssssss issssssss but the first ssssssssssacrifice of many to your father. Lord Nyarlathotep ssssssssssshall be pleased indeed."

"You rescued me," Pam sobbed as she threw her arms around Aly. "Thank you so much! Thank you!"

"Yesssssssss, Aunt Pammy. I ssssssssssaved you. Yessssssssss. Sssssssssssaved you, I did." Aly hissed as she released the axe and returned her aunt's embrace.

B&amp;B

"He hasn't talked to you since that night?" Amber asked as she drank her coffee and looked at the time on her phone. It was so late and she had an early morning ahead. She couldn't stay much longer, and being Noah and RJ's relationship advisor was not a job she had signed up for. "That would explain why he's been so bitchy at the office. I thought our cycles had gone out of sync."

"God dammit, Amber. That's gross!" Noah whined as he made an uncomfortable face. "Nobody wants to hear about that."

"It's 2015, Noah. Learn to talk about periods like a big boy already." Amber then reached into her purse and pulled out a tampon. She giggled at his horrified face as she tore open the packaging. Then she relented and put it away. It was still funny, though.

"You are horrible."

Amber flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled. "Trust me, I know. So, aside from my tiny best friend being his usual cunty self, what's new with you? Do you have a job yet? A hobby? Anything?"

Noah looked around the loft and sighed. "You know what? I have nothing going on. RJ has family problems and your designing stuff and I have absolutely nothing of my own. All I've done the last few days is try to cook and wait for him to call. I've become the needy girlfriend, which is weird because I'm the butch one."

"Ugh. Gender roles are so 20th century, you dumb bitch." Amber took another sip of her coffee and watched as he stared off into space. "Kept men and househusbands aren't a big deal anymore. Besides, RJ told me that you're playing the guitar again. That's gotta be a good release."

She watched Noah's eyes as they drifted over to the corner where his guitar rested on its stand. He didn't seem to be happy to see it.

"I thought... For a few days, I thought I might try playing again. But I'm just not feeling it." He looked to Amber and his eyes were sad. "When you see RJ tomorrow, can you tell him that I said goodbye?"

"Goodbye?" Amber was dumbstruck.

"Yeah. There's no point staying in LA in someone else's loft when he won't return my calls or texts. Besides, I'm sick of avoiding my dad and Victor. I think it's time I went back to Genoa City and faced the music. The reason I called you over so late?"

Noah reached across the table and held Amber's hand.

"I just wanted to say goodbye to the only friend I have in this town. Here, I was just RJ's boyfriend or the guy who slept with Brooke. But if I go back home..."

"You should talk to RJ first. Before you leave. It might change your mind."

Noah shook his head. "My mom... She's already charter a private flight for me. I'll be staying with her when I get back. My bags are packed in the closet. I really don't want to change my mind, and I've tried talking to RJ. I'm done. I'm tired."

"I'll miss you." Amber offered an apologetic smile. "I hope you can find happiness back in Genoa City."

"I'm sure I'll find something there. There's no way to know what it'll be, but it has to be better than this." Noah stuck a hand in his pocket and then pulled something out. It was a key. "Can you give this RJ for me?"

As Amber took it, her heart sank. It was hitting her that he really was leaving. After all, Noah wasn't the only person in Los Angeles with no friends.

B&amp;B

"Welcome home!" Ivy greeted cheerfully when Julian entered the kitchen. "It's not finished, but the contractor told me that I can go ahead and start cooking. I thought I'd try making cornbread. Don't you Americans love that stuff?"

Julian smacked Ivy with the back of his hand. "Who do you think you are? You stupid cow!"

"Did you just hit me?" Ivy asked as she touched her hand to her mouth. It was bleeding.

"You're lucky that's all I did. I got a call from one of my men at the police department. Pamela is mine. You think that just because I'm marrying you to take down the Forresters, you can do whatever you want? Pamela is MY concern. Not yours. Stay away from her."

"She tried to kill me with a car bomb. That makes her my concern." Ivy grabbed the cast iron skillet from the stove and smashed it into the side of Julian's head. He immediately buckled and she kicked him in the stomach. "Do you really think that getting slapped is going to intimidate me?!"

Ivy kicked Julian in the ribs three times then casually sat the skillet back on the stove. She walked around him and opened a drawer. She sifted through the various utensils until she found the cheese grater. Then she walked back to Julian and crouched next to him.

Grabbing his hair, Ivy lifted his face up from the floor. His alert eyes showed that he was still conscious. "This vendetta? It's no longer yours. The cunt almost killed me and it's her unlucky day that I survived. And from what I gather, she survived her encounter with my hitman. That's also unfortunate for her. It could have been quick and relatively painless. But tonight, you just guaranteed her a long and painful end."

Ivy held the cheese grater to Julian's face and he whimpered.

"After all, wasn't that what you wanted, Julian? You wanted the bitch to suffer? You don't have what it takes to pull this off. You can concern yourself with your little fashion company from now on because Pamela Douglas is my problem. But before anything else, we're going to the chapel and we're gonna get married. Las Vegas isn't that far away, my love. Or do you want to see me when I'm really angry?"

Then Ivy dropped the cheese grater and threw Julian's head back down to the floor. She had to go upstairs and pick out the perfect dress. After all, a girl only got one first wedding.

B&amp;B

RJ ran as fast as he could into the lobby. He hoped he wasn't too late. He prayed. Amber had called him and he left his mother's house the moment he heard her say Noah was leaving. The entire car ride over, he had tried calling his boyfriend and got no answer.

This was stupid; he was stupid. He'd shut out Noah because of his father and Caroline? As much as RJ hated those two, he loved Noah more. He couldn't lose him. Not over acting like a child.

He punched the elevator button repeatedly until the doors dinged open. He ignored the people in the lobby as he climbed aboard the elevator. As the doors shut, RJ tried calling him again. It went straight to voicemail just like every other time. RJ couldn't breathe. He'd spent three years pining over the man, and in less than a month he'd loved and lost him again.

Shaking his head, RJ told himself that he hadn't lost Noah. Not yet. There was still time. There had to be time.

The elevator dinged again and RJ ran to his door, which was still cracked open. RJ prayed to whatever higher power might have existed that it meant Noah hadn't left yet, and not that he was already gone.

As RJ threw the door the rest of the way open, he leaned against the doorway and tried to catch his breath. The guitar was still in the corner. He was still there. Smiling, RJ walked inside, but then he saw the note on the table. His heart sunk further into his stomach with each step. He picked up the paper, and then heard someone clear their throat.

"I already read it. It seems with both missed him, Young Man."

RJ spun around and saw an old man in a black t-shirt and leather jacket. "Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my loft?"

"You must be RJ Forrester," the man said as he crossed his arms. "I can't believe my grandson would live with a thing like you in this squa-"

"I asked you who you are and what the hell you think you're doing here," RJ interrupted impatiently.

"HOW DARE YOU?!" The man yelled, spittle flying from his mouth as he reached out and slammed the door, trapping RJ in the loft with him. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, SPEAKING LIKE THAT TO THE GREAT VICTOR NEWMAN?!"


	16. Chapter 16

"You're Victor Newman? You're Noah's grandfather?" RJ stumbled back a bit, more out of shock than fear. He looked back to the guitar in the corner, then balled his hands into fists and set his shoulder. When his eyes met the old man's he didn't flinch. "Noah's not here right now, but you're more than welcome to never come back later."

"It would behoove you to watch how you speak to me, Mr. Forrester," Victor advised. He pulled out a kerchief and wiped his mouth. "I am not a man you would want to make angry."

RJ rolled his neck and smirked. "I could give you the same advice, Old Man. My grandmother, bitter old hag that she was, was still Stephanie Forrester. My mother is Brooke Logan. Have you ever met my sister Steffy? All my life, I've been surrounded by women who are strong enough to strike fear into the heart of anyone alive. So you and your leather jacket and Y chromosome mean nothing to me."

"The bravado of the young," Victor laughed. He was amused by RJ. Amused! "The Forresters and the Logans may hold power in Los Angeles, but I spit on those names. Victor Newman has no match. Especially not some punk transvestite with purple hair."

"That word doesn't mean what you think it does." RJ tugged at the hem of his red jacket and looked down to his yellow pants. "If you're going to insult me, at least call me a faggot. It's the word you're looking for, Old Man."

Victor chuckled and rolled his shoulders. "Fine then, Little Faggot. Where is my grandson?"

"Out." RJ didn't want to tell Victor that Noah had left him. He didn't know why it was so important to him that Victor didn't know, or even why he was being so defensive. Well, no, RJ knew the defensiveness was partially because this man had broken into HIS home, and mostly because RJ wanted a safe target on which he could vent his frustration.

"I can wait. It gives us a chance to talk, man to whatever you are."

Annoyed, RJ huffed and walked to his window. He looked outside at the dark sky and the city lights and knew that Noah was probably already out of the city. The fight he was having with Noah's grandfather was pointless, but it made him feel better.

"You are one of those, aren't you?" RJ turned his head so that he could see Victor, but kept his back to the man. "You think that being able to wrestle a bear or mow a lawn is what makes someone a man. That thinking is as outdated as your wardrobe and haircut. It's 2015, not 1972. Having a dick isn't even a requirement to be a man anymore."

"I'm sure you believe that absurdity, living in this city of make believe, but try living in reality sometime, Miss Forrester."

RJ spun and flipped his hair out his eyes, then settled his hands on his hips. "Bitch, I see your incontinent ass missed the press conference where I stopped being a Forrester. It's MS. LOGAN, and you would do well to remember THAT."

"Even if my grandson is a homosexual, he could have least picked one of you people with some balls. And a real hair colour."

"You don't get to come for my purple hair when you're dressing like it's 1954, Old Man." RJ stomped his foot and laughed. "You are so threatened by me, the little sissy boy from LA who seduced your grandson. It's hilarious because you're so sad. What is even the point of you coming here? What is the point of you at all?"

Victor smiled and looked RJ over as if sizing him up. RJ fought the urge to shudder. If this man... Even though he was 800 years old, RJ knew that in a physical fight Victor would have the advantage. And the Newman family had enough money to make sure there would never be charges. Yes, the Forresters were rich, and before them the Douglas family was old money, but the Newmans were on a whole other planet. It was like comparing the music industry to film.

Still, RJ stood his ground.

"You are nothing." Victor smirked and waited for a retort that RJ didn't have. Then he continued. "My grandson has made many mistakes in his life because he was coddled by his mother and ignored by his father. I am merely here to apply correction."

"Correction? Seriously? Is that a brand of moustache polish or something? And I met Noah's mother. She's a lovely woman. But you? You're just a sad pathetic, wrinkled piece of trash. Old Bitch, I may have grown up a spoiled little rich kid, but I can spot garbage from a mile away. I grew up surrounded by it, so I know for a fact that money can never remove the stench. And you reek."

"You really think this hissy fit you're throwing is going to change something, but at the end of the day Noah is coming home with me and you'll be another lonely little boy who likes to play dress up in his mother's closet. As I said before, Little Faggot, you are nothing."

And RJ again found himself searching for a comeback, because Noah really was gone. He was alone, and he was picking a fight with an old man that he had already lost.

"You may take him from me, Old Bitch, but you won't change him. Your grandson liked boys before me, and he'll like them after me. Sure, he's bisexual, but whenever someone says his name they will think of me. Whenever his name is popped into a search engine, it's a video of him kissing me that will be at the top of the search results. Noah Newman can go on to marry some girl you approve of and have a dozen kids and take over your company after your old ass keels over, but I'll still be the most memorable thing about him.

"And despite all of that, once upon a time, he will still have loved me. Your precious Noah will still have loved the prissy little faggot who changes hair colours like he changes clothes. And I will have loved him. And nothing will ever undo that. Nothing."

"So you say. But your tone has changed, Ms. Logan." Victor put an emphasis on RJ's last name that pissed him off. "You were talking as though my grandson would never leave you, but now you talk as though he already has."

RJ's eyes widened and Victor noticed.

"So, he has! Perfect. All this bluster, all these claims you made, they're nothing but lies from an insecure little boy playing at being a man."

Victor laughed as RJ stumbled back into the window and covered his ears. He couldn't shut out Victor's words, though. The old man walked to RJ and laughed in his face.

"HA! You should really learn your place, Little Faggot. The day that the great Victor Newman is beaten has yet to be seen. And you? You could never be the first. Never. I may not know where my grandson is now, but I do know that he isn't with you. That alone is a victory.

"And so, I will take my leave. There is no reason for me to wait in this hovel any longer. Farewell, Little Faggot. Enjoy sleeping alone tonight. You have more than earned it."

After Victor left, RJ ran to the door and locked it. He hadn't... God, his chest hurt. He held a hand to it as he stumbled the sofa and collapsed. Noah was gone and he had just lost a battle of wits with a man older than the English language.

RJ lay on the sofa for several minutes, breathing heavily and feeling his own heart race. A thousand thoughts ran through his mind all at once but not a one of them was anywhere near being coherent. There were flashes of memories and dreams, times with Noah and days with his father and Steffy in Paris.

Then RJ remembered coming home to visit his dad and Aunt Katie. They were happy. They told him that his cousin Will was going to be his little brother. They went to the park and ate ice cream and hot dogs and RJ used his eye liner pencil to draw a moustache on Will's upper lip. Ridge had gotten mad but Aunt Katie had laughed when she saw it would rub off. It had been a real family moment. It had been his last real family moment.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaugh!" RJ screamed as he sat up and flipped his coffee table. He stood and ripped one of the cushions off the couch and threw it at the window. It bounced off harmlessly and fell to the floor without a sound. That just made RJ even madder.

There was a painting hanging on the wall to cover the Taylor-shaped hole that Noah's mother had made. The painting had cost $2000, and RJ threw it into a lamp. He looked at the indentation of Taylor and screamed every curse he knew at it. If she hadn't outed them, if she hadn't been such a cunt, then RJ's father never would have invited him and Noah over to dinner. There would have been no fight. Victor Newman and the rest of the world would never have known a thing about them. They could have been happy if it weren't for Taylor fucking Hayes!

RJ kicked the wall and lost his balance, falling onto his ass. He just sat and stared at the hole. Then he began to cry. It was over. Noah was the only man that RJ had ever loved. Yes, he was young and everyone would tell him that there would be others. But they wouldn't be Noah. Nobody else could be Noah.


	17. Chapter 17

"These came for you, my darling husband." Ivy closed the door to Julian's office behind her and dropped a tupperware container on his desk. In her hand she held a greeting card. "To my dearest Julian, I heard about your recent nuptials. You aren't the only one with eyes everywhere. Better luck on the next bride. Sincerely yours, Pamela Douglas."

Ivy ripped the card in half and put the pieces into her purse.

"Well, that was rude."

"You beat me with a frying pan and then forced me into marrying you last night. You don't get to comment on someone else's rudeness." Julian gave Ivy a dirty look, which made her laugh.

She popped the lid off the container and revealed a case of lemon bars. Ivy grabbed the topmost one and looked it over. "But of course. What do you wanna bet they're poisoned?"

"Why don't you eat one and find out?" Julian snapped as he stared at his new wife.

"If I eat mine, then you have to eat the next one," Ivy challenged as she sat on the edge of Julian's desk. She held her hand under the lemon bar as she took a bite. "Pam may be a crazy bitch with a death wish, but she does have legendary lemon bars."

She watched Julian watch her finish her treat.

"Would you look at that? Nothing. How disappointing." Ivy pushed the container to Julian. "Now it's your turn, my beloved. Or are you a coward?"

"It could be a slow acting poison," Julian suggested as he picked up a lemon bar and sniffed it. Ivy leaned forward and watched him. "If she kills both of us, I at least I get to watch you die first."

"That's the spirit. We're married now; we should share everything." Ivy clapped and watched her husband take a bite. The moment he swallowed, her eyes lit up.

Julian looked like he was about to smugly say something to Ivy, but then he began to choke. She hopped off of his desk and looked into his eyes.

"What's wrong, my love? My lemon bar was perfect. Is there something wrong with yours? Not lemony enough for you?"

Falling out of his chair, Julian pulled at the collar of his shirt as if it would help him breathe. His eyes began to bulge out of his head. The man grabbed for Ivy's ankles and she stepped back out of his way.

"Oh! That's right. My lemon bar was the only one that didn't have poison. I made certain to mark it with a fingernail imprint, but you might have missed that," Ivy bragged as she knelt down next to Julian. "It's a shame I had all the others tampered with after they were stolen from the Forrester mansion last night. I could really use one now.

"Oh? What's that you're asking? How did I get authentic Pam Douglas lemon bars when you and I were in Las Vegas last night?" Ivy watched as Julian began to convulse. "It's quite simple: she makes a fresh batch every night to hand out at Forrester the next day. So while I had one man try to kill her, I had another retrieve them for me. It's good to always have a backup plan."

Julian was well past saving. Ivy had researched this poison. She researched how Pam had once poisoned Eric Forrester while trying to kill Donna Logan using this very technique. And then she doubled the dosage of the exact same poison. Eric's had been nearly lethal; Julian had been as good as dead the moment he took his first bite.

"You shouldn't have fucked with me, Julian. I was going to have these returned to the mansion and Pam would have given them out to all of the sheep that work at Forrester, just like always. She would have gone to prison, perhaps even received the death penalty. We would have both won. But instead, you went and made me do this. But on the bright side, they are legitimate Pam Douglas lemon bars. So you die, Pam goes to jail for it, and I inherit everything. I win, Julian. I win."

After waiting until she was sure that Julian's pulse had stopped, Ivy began to hysterically scream for help.

B&amp;B

"I can't believe he's gone," Amber told RJ as they watched the ambulance drive away. "Death by lemon bar. That's some shit."

"It really is. He's the one who started this whole company. He scouted me," RJ agreed sadly. "Julian was like my mentor until we hired my mom. Then he... He became too busy to take meetings with me. I didn't even know he knew Pam."

"God, Pam really killed him. It just doesn't seem like something she would do," Maya said from RJ's other side. "She's usually so sweet. Well, not to me, but everyone else."

RJ didn't want to say it. He didn't want to put it out there, but someone would eventually. "She did this before. My Granddad, when he was still with my Aunt Donna, he almost died from poisoned lemon bars. Pam was trying to kill Donna. She did a lot of other crazy stuff, too, like holding Donna hostage with a sniper rifle and having dogs attack her. I heard there was a bear somewhere in there, too."

"Damn." Maya looked over at Ivy, who was a few metres away, crying and trying to explain to the police what had happened. "If only that bitch had eaten one of those lemon bars, too."

"Maya!" RJ gasped. "I didn't even think of that! It really is a shame."

"I guess there was a car bomb, too. That's why Ivy's all bruised up," Amber explained. "That guy who attacked Pam last night, Julian must have sent him in retaliation for Ivy almost dying. My god. How does that bitch keep escaping the clutches of death?"

"My shit luck?" RJ suggested. "She's not going to be worth anything. Let's go draft a press release. This is really going to affect sales."

Then Ivy looked in their direction and all three onlookers shuddered.

B&amp;B

"Does anyone want to tell me why nobody knew that Pam and Julian Crane were trying to kill each other? This company is trying to get a new line off the ground with a new designer, and Pam was fucking arrested at our reception desk!" Rick yelled and slammed his tablet down on the conference room table. "They already released her mugshot!"

"You're the CEO, Rick. You're in charge of everything," Caroline reminded him. "You're the one who kept a fucking murderer working here."

"And I let a couple of cheating whores keep working here, too, but you don't complain about that."

"Are we really back on that, Rick? You can't compare me and Ridge to Pam killing someone!"

"Why not?" Rick asked as looked over at Ridge, who was knee deep into his second bucket of fried chicken. "Just the sight of you two kills my appetite the exact same way Pam killed Julian."

"You are such a child, Rick," Caroline snarled. "Just because you got that Myrna back in your bed, you think you're better than everyone."

"Her name is Maya, and she has nothing to do with this. Also, I don't think I'm better than everyone else. I just think everyone else is better than you two."

"I'm with Rick. You two need to dial back the PDA. It's obnoxious." Layla agreed. "Hold the Diploma is more tasteful."

"Who said you're allowed to speak?" Ridge yelled at Layla. Then he turned to Rick. "Did you even do a background check on this one?"

"Excuse me." Layla blinked then stood up. "And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that we know how much you low class people like to steal things. Cars, TVs, stereos: whatever you can get your hands on!" Caroline stood up and tried to stare Layla down, but the other woman didn't buckle.

"You really need to shut up before I do it for you. I used to work in a police station. I learned more ways to take a bitch down than you have ways to accessorize. And you didn't even learn that well because your belt and your shoes clash."

Caroline scoffed, sat down, ripped a chicken wing out of Ridge's hands, and angrily took a bite out of it.

B&amp;B

Ivy stood back and waited for the guard to announce her. "You have a visitor, Ms. Douglas."

"Is it my lawyer?"

"If I were your lawyer, then they would have said that your lawyer was here." Ivy played with her fur coat as she stepped within Pam's line of sight. She looked to the guard and clasped his hand. "Can I spend some time alone with her? You have cameras and I'm not stupid enough to go near the bars keeping me safe from the woman who murdered my husband."

"Sure thing, Ma'am," he said as he tipped his hand and pocketed his new hundred dollar bill.

"Husband?" Pam asked as the guard walked away. "Since when is he your husband?"

"Was," Ivy corrected with an evil grin. "He was my husband until you killed him. We eloped last night. After you had our car fucking blown up and I almost died, Julian said he didn't want to wait. Life was too short. It's a shame we didn't know how short it would be."

"Ivy, I didn't do this. You have to believe me," Pam begged. "I didn't kill Julian."

"So you weren't the one who rigged up a shotgun to the door of our old apartment? The one in the building that you bought two days after you learned Julian was in town? You weren't the one who rigged Julian's car to explode? You didn't send him poisoned lemon bars? Just what did you do, Pammy? Crochet a case for the knife you would've stuck in my back?" Ivy spat through the bars and hit Pam in the face. She smiled as she stepped away from the cell before Pam could retaliate.

Tears ran down Pam's face as she wiped it clean with the sleeve of her shirt. "What happened to you, Ivy? There was a time you would have never gone near Julian. You would have believed me without question. That pootyhead you married had my Charlie killed! Just last night he could have killed me!"

"And you almost killed me, you doddering old fool. I was the one who was going to take the car home, not Julian. I could have eaten one of those lemon bars. I picked them up from the reception desk for him! What if I'd been hungry and eaten one on my way to deliver them? What if you were behind bars for killing me and not Julian?"

"I didn't poison those lemon bars, Ivy. I'm being setup. They must have been stolen from the house. I... I..."

"You poisoned Uncle Eric," Ivy snarled. As much as she wanted to laugh in Pam's face and reveal that she was the mastermind, she knew better. That was Julian's thing: he would talk too much and never do anything. All Ivy had to do was play the angry widow and she would never be a suspect. "You may think I didn't know about that because I was still living in Australia at the time, but I heard. Quit lying, Pam. This was you. This was you and Julian fighting over something that happened decades ago. And just what was it, Pammy? What was so important, so heinous, that you two had to constantly try to kill each other? What was worth you being behind bars?"

Then Pam smiled. "He never told you. Julian married you for gosh knows why, but he never told you why he hated me. It must be driving you crazy not knowing."

"Not as crazy as you," Ivy said as she looked Pam up and down. "You may think your secret is a victory against Julian, against his widow, but you're the bitch behind bars. Nobody won, Pam. He lost and you lost."

"And what about you, Ivy? Did you lose, too? Was your dead husband worth turning your back on a family that loved you unconditionally?"

Then Ivy did laugh. "Love me? The hell you say. How many times did everyone yell at me to shut up? How many times did Ridge throw things at me, or people called me a bitch just for trying to be empathetic? No, Pammy, I may have lost my husband, but in the end I guess I really am the only winner here because I'm free of the Forresters and I'm free of you."

Then Ivy spun on her heel and walked away. She did her best to look like she was going to cry until one of the officers had escorted her to her car. It wasn't until she was on the road that she dared let herself smile.

B&amp;B

"RJ, Honey, are you sure you're okay? Do you need a couple of days off? I'm sure Amber can cover you. Can't you?" Brooke asked the other designer.

"Yeah. You were the one who knew Julian the best, RJ. Well, aside from Ivy. She's already put in for a couple of weeks off to plan the funeral. You can do the same."

He sat and thought. While he did know Julian, he didn't really know him all that well. RJ never met the man's family. Outside of making the CEO proposal to Brooke, they didn't spend much time together outside of the office. The loss hurt, but in the same way that losing a cousin or friend of the family hurt. RJ and Julian were never as close as everyone seemed to think.

"Do you still need someone to fly to Genoa City and head up that meeting with Fenmore's? I know Julian was supposed to do it, but I can't just do nothing."

Amber looked at RJ, but said nothing. She was the only one who knew about Noah. Nobody else... Julian had died before he could tell anyone else about Noah and RJ felt a little guilty about using his death to go sfter Noah.

"Are you sure? Lauren already contacted me and said we can postpone it." Brooke clearly didn't want her son out of her sight. Not after learning about the car bombs and home invasions and poisoned lemon bars. Not to forget that it was a PR disaster for L&amp;C and Forrester alike. And that bitch Ivy was leaving her job when she was needed the most.

"Yeah. I think getting out of LA would be good. So much has happened since I came back, and it would help clear my head."

"Fine, I'll send Maya with you. Neither one of you is a Julian, but she's very good at bullshitting and we need that right now."

"Thanks, Mom." RJ hugged Brooke and she squeezed him tighter than usual. Then she kissed him on the cheek, told him she loved him, and left.

Amber offered RJ a sad smile. "You really think he'll see you?"

"I'll hate myself if I don't try. Shit, I already hate myself, so I guess I have nothing to lose."

RJ thought about showing Amber the letter Noah had left. He considered telling her about his fight with Victor Newman and how the man had already read the letter, already knew Noah was gone, and played like he didn't know just so he could fuck with RJ's head.

Instead, he left the paper in his pocket and kept it all to himself. RJ didn't know why. At the end of the day, all he could do was try. And god help anyone, man, woman, or Newman, who got in his way.


	18. Chapter 18

The place was a dump. RJ grew up drinking espresso in Paris cafes and lattes on Los Angeles rooftops. But Genoa City touted Crimson Lights as the premiere local coffee house and it was trash. The lighting was so terrible that he hadn't been able to read the menu. And to top it all off, the muffins were stale and the coffee was bland.

"Hello." A young man about RJ's age sat in the chair across from his own. "We don't see many people here with, uh, blue hair."

"It's teal," RJ corrected. He didn't even bother to look up from his tablet. It was his second of three days in Genoa City, but only if one counted the plane arriving late in the afternoon the day before. Maya had told RJ not to bother coming to the meeting at Fenmore's. Amber had told her why he was really flying to Wisconsin.

"I'm shocked you aren't colder. There's a snowstorm outside and you're only wearing two layers." The guy didn't even seem to be picking up that RJ wasn't interested. The people of Genoa City so far seemed to be as dumb as they were dull. How the hell was Noah from this place?

"Sometimes you have to suffer go look good," RJ answered, taking a drink of his disappointing coffee. "Is there something I can help you with?"

He lowered his tablet and looked at the guy sitting across from him.

"Oh, Honey. There is a lot I can help with you right now. That hair is a no, the plaid shirt wants to go back to 2013, and what the hell is on your feet? Yellow rain boots? It's snow, not a tsunami."

"Um... Okay? I just thought I'd welcome you to Genoa City. You look new." The guy said as he held out his hand.

"I'm visiting. And I don't shake the hands of people who don't give me their names. Especially if those hands are as filthy as yours. Personal policy. Sorry."

The guy wiped his hand on his shirt and then offered it again. "Fenmore Baldwin. Nice to meet you, Mister?"

"Logan. RJ Logan." He didn't shake Fenmore's hand. "And your last name is Baldwin? Any relation to Eden Baldwin?"

Fenmore smiled brightly. "She's my aunt! You know her?"

"I'm an old friend. She visited me in LA a few weeks ago. Now that we've been introduced, this is the part where I tell you I'm not interested because I already have a boyfriend. Sorry."

The guy scoffed and retracted his hand so that he could hold it to his chest. "I'm not gay. Why does everyone think that?"

"Oh, Honey, don't even try. I'm a queen, and I can definitely tell that you're one, too. This pathetic ensemble you have on? It doesn't make you look straight, Boo. It just makes you look like a big gay mess. Now go download Grindr and find someone else. I'm not into bathroom sex, and if I were it would not be with some closeted power bottom twink."

"I should go," Fenmore suggested, excusing himself and walking back out into the snow. RJ shrugged, picked his tablet back up and took another drink of his shitty coffee.

He waited several more minutes. RJ decided that he really should have thought of something better to do to kill time. People watching proved a bust because the people were a bust, and the tablet was next to useless because Crimson Lights didn't have Wi-Fi. Even fucking fast food places had wireless internet.

"Sorry I'm late, RJ. The weather is a nightmare." Sharon took off her coat and sat in the same chair that Fenmore Baldwin had recently vacated.

"So is this coffee," RJ noted before taking another sip. He really didn't know why he kept drinking it. "I'm glad you got my message. I tried calling Noah again, but he didn't answer."

"He's at Newman with his grandfather. He said he wanted to try working there. It's his family legacy."

RJ shook his head and closed the case on his tablet. "Ms. Collins, you know Noah better than I do, and I like to think that I know him pretty well. The one thing that we both know is that he has no interest in the corporate world. I don't know what he's doing, but I do know it's not what he wants."

"I think he's trying to find himself, RJ. When he called me to set up his flight home, he kept talking about wanting to be defined by who he is, not who you are. He never told me why you two broke up, but I could tell he didn't really want to leave you."

"And I didn't want him to go, Ms. Collins. It's why I'm here, why I called you. I fucked up bad, and that's why he left. I didn't cheat on him or abuse him or anything. I just... I just let him think I didn't want him and it wasn't true. At all.

"So I came here to Genoa City, the land of terrible coffee and even worse hair, to get him back."

"You really love him, don't you?" Sharon reached across the table and held RJ's hand. "Listen, RJ, I think you're a good kid: spoiled as all get out, but good. And Noah seemed happy with you. But he left you for his own reasons. There's nothing I can do to change that."

RJ chose that moment to play his trump card. He reached into his cute but functionally useless coat and pulled out the letter Noah had left him. It was the very same letter that Victor had claimed to read. Breathing heavily, RJ handed the letter to Sharon.

"This is... Why does he keeps repeating lines?"

"It's not a goodbye letter, Ms. Collins. It's a goodbye song. Well, it's the lyrics to a really short song, but it's still kind of a song."

"He hasn't written anything in years. It just kind of faded, his wanting to be a musician." Sharon looked at RJ and there were tears in her eyes. "His dad and the rest of the family said they were proud of him for growing up, but I knew that all he was doing was giving up. His dreams were dying."

"Before you left, that night when you and I were at the fashion show, Noah bought a guitar. I completely forgot about it because he'd also flown in my sister Hope, but he bought a guitar. Ms. Collins, I may have dominated Noah's life with my issues, but he was rediscovering his love for music. If I had been a better boyfriend, and I swear I will be from now on, then he might have continued.

"And if he goes to work at Newman, then those embers of passion will be snuffed out. He wasn't completely happy with me and most of it was my fault, but he'll just be miserable stuck in a boardroom day in and day out. So please, don't help me. Help your son."

"Have you ever tried to outrun a security guard?" Sharon asked RJ as she raised her eyebrows and smiled.

B&amp;B

Ivy recognized from pictures some of men and women in the room: they were Julian's kids and ex-wives who had flown into town for the reading of the will. Their presence didn't surprise her, but Amber's did.

None of them spoke to her and she was fine with that. She had no interest in playing step mommy to her late husband's brain dead offspring. All she cared about was the same thing everyone else in the room cared about: his money.

"I won't go into platitudes about how Julian Crane was a wonderful man. We all know he wasn't," the lawyer started.

"Just read the damn thing already!" One of the women yelled.

"Very well. Julian recently had his will altered to accommodate the creation of his new company and also his new wife."

"Widow," Ivy corrected as she raised a finger. The older women in the room glared at her hatefully and she just smiled and waved her fingers at them.

"Yes, well, Julian had it changed so that all of his real estate is to be sold off and his assets liquidated: with his wife receiving half of the total estate and the rest being divided evenly amongst his children.

"The only exemptions are the building currently housing Logan &amp; Crane, which Julian left to his protégé RJ Logan, and his 49% ownership of that same company which has been left to Ms. Amber Moore."

Ah. So that was why Amber was there. Julian wanted the last laugh, even in death. He wanted Ivy to know that she was as welcome in the company he had created with the Logans as she was at Forrester. Ivy didn't care. She had been left enough money to buy L&amp;C ten times over. A symbolic slap in the face only worked if she cared enough to be hurt.

"Very well then. Is that everything?" Ivy asked the lawyer with a bored yawn.

Everyone else in the room looked ready to leave as well.

"I suppose so. I'll be in contact with everyone to ensure that everything is finalized." He started to say something else, but Ivy didn't care. There were other things that needed her attention. She stood and walked out of the room before he had finished his next sentence.

B&amp;B

"Mrs. Newman!" The Newman Enterprises receptionist practically jumped out of her seat when she saw Sharon walk in with RJ. He saw everyone in the building tense up. So, he wasn't the only one who was afraid of her. That made him feel a little better.

"I don't remember your name, but you remember mine so you can answer my questions." Sharon leaned over the reception desk and put her face inches away from the employee's. "My son Noah started working here today with Victor. He's early to mid-twenties, tallish, dark hair. You recognize the description?"

"Mr. Newman is in a board meeting. Do you have an appointment?"

Sharon looked at RJ. "Board meetings are always on the seventh floor. Conference Room C. Or they were when I ran this company. Good luck! Security seems to be here already." Sharon turned back to the receptionist. "There was no need to push the silent alarm: I wasn't going to make a mess. But since you insist..."

RJ watched Sharon grab the receptionist by the hair and slam her face into the desk, then she picked up the receptionist's phone and used it to smash in the face of the first security guard to arrive on the scene.

"Well don't just stand there. Run!" Sharon yelled at RJ. She then pulled out a taser and took down a second security guard.

Taking his cue from the crazy woman assaulting random people, RJ ran as fast as he could, weaving between employees and dodging security guards until he saw an open elevator door and dived into it.

"Seventh floor, please," he told the woman giving him an openmouthed stare. She looked down at him and he stared up at her. "Oh my god, you have the worst hair I have ever seen in my life. And I've been to Lady Gaga concerts."

"The seventh floor is for employees only, and Newman Enterprises doesn't allow its staff to have unnatural hair colours," the woman replied tersely, ignoring his criticism.

"Or brushes, apparently." RJ ignored the woman back and stood up, brushed himself off, and hit the button for the seventh floor.

"I just told you that the seventh floor is for employees."

He rolled his eyes and looked at the woman. "Listen, I don't know the how things work in Wisconsin, but in Los Angeles, I don't give a fuck. Oh, wait, no, that's how it works here, too."

"Do you know who you're talking to?" The woman asked RJ.

"I'm pretty sure I just told you I don't give a fuck. Did you mess up your hearing when you stuck your finger into that electric socket?"

"Young man, I'm Victoria Newman. Victor Newman, the CEO, is my father."

RJ reached into his pocket, then held out the palm of his hand. "Do you see anything in my hand? Anything at all? Because I could have sworn that I said I had no fucks to give, and I don't see one. Do you?"

"You are very rude. I can't wait to see security bring you down."

"I'm already bored by this conversation." RJ slapped the button for the fourth floor and the elevator came to a stop and opened up to an empty hallway. "Goodbye now."

He then grabbed Victoria Newman by the arm and slung her out of the elevator. She tripped over her own feet and fell to the floor face first. Again, he hit the button again for the seventh floor. RJ just waved at her as the door slid shut.

When the elevator opened next, RJ was on the seventh floor and security still hadn't caught up. He ran as fast as he could through the empty hallway until he reached the conference room. RJ took a deep breath, collected himself, and opened the door. "Okay, Old Bitch, I..."

The conference room was empty. RJ stepped back into the hallway and looked at the plaque on the door. It was Conference Room B. He facepalmed, then ran down the hall to Conference Room C and threw open the door.

"RJ?" Noah exclaimed, causing a roomful of old white people to look in his direction.

"What are you doing here? In my place of business?" Victor slammed his fist on the table as his eyes met RJ's. "HOW DARE YOU?!"

RJ held up a finger and spent a few seconds trying to catch his breath. When he was good, he grabbed the nearest chair and wheeled it and its occupant into the wall with a shove. "I'm here to get what's mine."

Then RJ climbed onto the table and walked across everyone's paperwork without a care. When he reached the end of the table, he looked down at Victor.

"You took something that belongs to me. I want him back, Old Bitch."

"This isn't the time," Noah told RJ as he nervously adjusted his tie. He gave an awkward smile to the woman sitting next to him.

"Just who do you think you are, barging in here and acting like a punk?" Victor asked RJ. "I ought to give you what for."

"I have no idea what that means, but I am sick of you." RJ rolled his eyes and used his foot to tip a glass of ice water from the table and into Victor's lap. "Noah, let's go."

Victor rose to his feet and brushed the water and ice from his pants as best he could. Then he glared up at RJ as best he could. "My grandson is going nowhere with a thing like you!"

Squatting so that they were face to face, RJ smirked. "That's his call, not yours. What do you say, Noah? Do you wanna come with me or do you want stay here and join the AARP thirty years ahead of schedule?"

Then Victor raised his fist. RJ fearfully closed his eyes and held his hands in front of his face, but the punch never came.

"That's enough. FROM BOTH OF YOU!" Noah yelled. RJ opened his eyes and lowered his hands. He saw that Noah was holding his grandfather's wrist in a death grip. "RJ, what are you doing here?"

"Mostly, I'm here to apologize and beg you to take me back, but part of me is saving you from yourself. A suit and tie? Really? That's not you, Noah. You're blue jeans and ugly t-shirts and boring sweaters. You're a fucking musician, not some corporate crony.

"No offence," he offered to the dozen or so people who were silently watching the spectacle.

"Are you really going to listen to this nonsense, Noah? From something like this?"

"This something is fabulous, and you underestimated it back in Los Angeles. See, I'm a spoiled brat, so I'm used to throwing fits until I get my way. And I will fly to fucking Wisconsin in the middle of winter to do it. And right now, I want your grandson."

Noah wedged himself between his grandfather and RJ, and then forced Victor back a few steps. "Let me get this straight. You two already know each other? How the hell did that happen?"

"He came to LA looking for you, Noah. He wanted to apply "correction" to you to get you away from me. His words, not mine. I tried to call you, but you didn't answer."

"You were too late," Noah said sadly. He looked into RJ's eyes, and RJ looked into his. Victor grinned smugly in the background.

"I'm so sorry, Noah. I will do better. I wasn't kidding about begging." RJ dropped to his knees and grabbed the front Noah's shirt. "Please. We don't have to go to LA. We can go to Paris or New York or even stay in this shithole city, it doesn't matter. As long as you're with me and not working in this office. You never wanted to work here. Not really."

"Nonsense! He's a Newman," Victor boasted. "And you are nothing."

"You keep saying that, and yet Noah hasn't told me to leave."

Noah looked from RJ to his grandfather. The he grinned. "The boy has a point. And I have to admit, I've been bored out of my mind today. Sorry. I gotta go with the cute guy who got on his knees in front of a bunch of strangers and asked me back."

Then Noah turned back to RJ and kissed him.

"NEVER!" Victor screamed as he ripped the two young men apart and threw Noah to the ground. Then he punched RJ in the mouth. RJ fell onto his back, but quickly sat up and rubbed his jaw. "I will NOT allow this."

"Old Bitch, I really do not have time for you right now." RJ stood up, jumped down to the floor, and looked so that he could stare Victor right in the eye. Then he smiled. "You just fucked up so bad and you don't even know it."

RJ turned away and helped Noah to his feet. As he wrapped an arm around Noah's waist, RJ laughed and looked back to Victor.

"Score one for the Little Faggot. Someone finally got the best of the great Victor Newman."

When they were in the hall, RJ slammed the conference room door behind them and kissed Noah again.

"Must you make a production of everything?" Noah asked between kisses.

"Actually, we should probably leave. Like, right now. Security will be here any second, and I have a feeling you just joined me as persona non grata in this building. Besides, there won't be anyone to bail your mom out if we're in jail for trespassing."

"Um, why would my mom need bailed out of jail?"

RJ took Noah by the hand and led him to the nearest elevator. "Yeah, about that. Have you ever seen someone get hit in the face with an office phone? Or a stun gun? And I might have thrown your aunt out of an elevator, but in my defense she was being annoying."

"You are insane."

"You love it."


	19. Epilogue

Victor Newman sat at his desk and laughed. He didn't care about the meeting that creature had interrupted the day before, or the Workman's Comp claims filed by the employees Sharon had attacked. They could all be dealt with later. No, only one thing had his attention. "That thing may believe that it won, but Victor Newman has no equal."

He opened his top drawer and reached inside for the hidden button. As he held his finger down, a panel on the wall slid open to reveal a monitor. Victor chuckled darkly as he watched it.

"They forgot about you, my dear. But soon enough, you'll return to their lives and that thing will learn that Victor Newman is not a man to be trifled with!"

The old man just sat and watched the screen. He watched Eden Baldwin as she pulled at the bars of her cage and screamed for help that would never come.

B&amp;B

Ridge and Caroline were in the drive-thru for In &amp; Out Burger when the radio stopped playing music for a special announcement.

"Breaking News, ladies and gentlemen! Taylor Hayes, the kooky psychiatrist and on-again-off-again love interest of fashion designer and infamous playboy Ridge Forrester has just been arrested after striking a cyclist with her car!

"It is unknown if alcohol is involved, but this DJ wouldn't be surprised if she had a nip or two. I know I need a shot just to look at a picture of her! And to make things even more interesting, the cyclist was Wyatt Spencer, son of the queen of crazy herself Quinn Fuller and Dollar Bill Spencer, the mountain climbing publishing magnate. No information has been released concerning Mr. Spencer's condition."

"It's going to be very interesting to see just what comes of this one, folks. Very, very interesting."

Caroline turned off the radio and looked at Ridge. "Oh my god. Poor Wyatt. I need to go to Uncle Bill's, Ridge."

"After we get lunch, right?" Ridge asked. He looked at the four cars in line ahead of them. "It won't be that long of a wait, and it's not like Wyatt is actually there waiting on you."

B&amp;B

Brooke woke up and found that she wasn't in her house. She groaned and saw the clock on the nightstand. She was late for work. Several hours late. It was a good thing she was the boss. Nobody could yell at her.

She rolled over and saw that the man whose bed she was sharing had a pillow over his face, but his chest still rose and fell. Even though all she wanted to do was grab her dress from the floor and disappear, Brooke grabbed the pillow and lifted it. Brooke screamed.

"What? What's going...Aaaaaaaaaahhhh! Liam screamed when he saw Brooke screaming in his bed. Then he raised his blanket, looked at himself, and began to scream even louder.

B&amp;B

"Don't you think you should stay in LA, Ma'am? You still have to testify against Mr. Crane's murderer at her trial," one of Ivy's nameless mooks asked as he picked up one of the boxes she had made someone else pack. She laughed at him.

"I'll fly back for the trial, but I'm so bored with California. The only thing more plastic that the people are the things they inject into their faces. How is New York this time of year?" Ivy began to file her nails.

"New York City, Ma'am?" the guy asked.

She looked to him as if he were an idiot. "No, you fool. I wouldn't bother with place. I'm thinking more upstate. Back in Australia, I had a friend by the name of Jerry. He used to tell me about this town named Port Charles. It sounded so fascinating." Ivy blew her nails free of dust. "Yes, Port Charles. It's such a lovely name for a town. I think I would like to own that town."

B&amp;B

Amber held the papers in her hands and grinned. It was official. She didn't have 51% of L&amp;C, but she was the majority owner. And if she won RJ away from his mother, then things might finally start looking up for Amber Moore.

All she had to do was wait for him to return from Genoa City. The company that they started with Julian, the company built on RJ and Amber's hard work, it was no longer somebody else's company. Soon enough, it would be HER company.

As she spun around in her seat, Amber laughed. Logan &amp; Crane was no more. It was time to move past that. L&amp;C was the past. L&amp;M was the future. 


End file.
